


If I were here

by mariekiki50



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Naruto Epilogue, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, Gen, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Major Original Character(s), Naruto is Just Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2020-07-12 19:38:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19951738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariekiki50/pseuds/mariekiki50
Summary: What if Sasuke was not the only one Itachi had spared during the night of the massacre? In an alternate universe from the Naruto world we know, it exists a timeline where Uchiha Sasuke was born with a younger twin sister. Here is the story of Uchiha Asuka, his sibling. From her birth until the end of the Fourth Great Ninja war, she is going to live an incredible adventure, make new friends and follow her own ninja way, while trying to know the true reasons that led her eldest brother to slaughter her prestigious clan. A lot of dangers are awaiting her, she will discover it during her first real mission as a ninja in the Land of Waves, but also during the Chūnin Exams, and later in her quest to find a legendary Sanin. Fortunately, she can count on her friends to help her going through all what will await her. The fate of the world lies on her shoulders, and she'll have to  be brave if she wants to protect the ones she loves.





	1. Introduction – Part One

**Author's Note:**

> "If you were here" is an alternate universe which depicts how things would have gone if Sasuke had had a little sister. This is the first fanfiction I've ever posted on this website for now.  
> Things will mainly go canon, except for a few changes. It will follow the original story, from Asuka's birth up to the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War and maybe even after that, with Boruto, depending on the circumstances and the success this story will have.
> 
> You're strongly encouraged to leave a kudo or a comment, so I would not have the feeling I'm writing for nothing. If you see mistakes, you can tell us to me too, knowing that English is not my mother tongue.
> 
> I hope you'll like this story. I can't really give precise update dates for now, but I'll try to post as regularly as I can. Thanks for reading this fanfiction, and don't forget to enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter relates the birth of the last Uchiha sibling and twin sister of Sasuke, Asuka Uchiha.
> 
> It also tells how Naruto and Asuka met for the first time, as well as how Itachi's siblings learnt of Shisui's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> This is my first work on this website. As you probably guessed, this is an AU where Sasuke has a twin sister, and what would have happened with her being here (hence the title of this fanfiction, eh eh). I don't know if some of the authors here already tried to make a what if Sasuke had a little sister AU, but here's my work.
> 
> English is not my mother tongue – though I have been learning it for ten years now – so if you see any mistake, please tell me so I can correct it.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy! Don't hesitate to leave a comment or a kudo, it's always nice for a writer to know he does not work for nothing.

# Introduction – Part One

It was one past midnight when Mikoto Uchiha finally gave birth to her third child.

She had been waiting in this hospital room for what seemed to have been ages, in her mind. Her water had broken yesterday morning, warning her that her babies would come into the word soon.

To be more precise, she had been pregnant with twins. The older one was a little boy and the younger one was a little girl.

How rare was it to have a baby born one minute before midnight, the darkest time of the night, and another baby born one minute after midnight, the brightest time of the night? It sure was thin on the ground. But Mikoto did not care. After all what she had been through, it was finally over. And now, as some locks of hair – long black hair – were sticking to her face because of the sweat, she was waiting for the nurse to give her the two newborns. She was completely exhausted, and she had a hard time catching her breath, but she could not be happier. Tears of joy glistened in her eyes and wetted her cheeks as the twins were finally put in her arms.

Her husband, Fugaku Uchiha, and their eldest child, Itachi, were finally allowed to come in the hospital room. They found a Mikoto smiling, and she was radiant like she had never been before. Itachi naturally came to his mother’s side, and looked at his younger siblings with curiosity. They were small, pink, and nearly did not look like human beings, but one could tell he already love them from the bottom of his heart. They were sleeping now, wrapped in colored blankets in Mikoto’s arms. Itachi looked up at the latter:

“Have you already chosen a name for them, Mother?”

“I have. Well, _we_ have, with your father. Come here, darling. Don’t you want to see them?”

She was talking to Fugaku, who had stayed in the corner of the room until now. He grumbled, not specially liking babies’ company, but nevertheless stepped toward his spouse and his offspring. Oddly enough, he could not help but smile when he saw the twins deeply asleep, in this warm and protective place, against their mother chest. It remembered him of Itachi’s birth. Like his siblings, he had not cried much and had fallen asleep quickly.

“So, how should we call them, then?” the latter asked his parents.

“For your brother, it will be Sasuke, in honor to the Third Hokage’s father,” Fugaku began.

Mikoto added: “And for your sister, we thought of Asuka. It was the name of your great grandmother, you know. What do you think?”

Itachi was surprised for a moment. Before he could even answer, tiny fingers touched the back of his hand. He slightly jumped and looked at the small hand lying on his. His eyes widened, and he looked at the owner of this hand, that is to say Asuka, who was still sleeping. Then, his attention was caught by his little brother: Sasuke’s eyes fluttered open, and he gave his brother a smile. That was enough to make Itachi’s heart melt. His cheeks reddened, and he grinned.

“I think they love their names.”

Mikoto lightly laughed; Fugaku himself found himself smiling.

And this is how, respectively on July 23, 1989, at one to midnight, and on July 24, 1989, at one past midnight, Sasuke Uchiha and Asuka Uchiha were born, in the hospital of the Hidden Leaf Village, also known as Konoha.

***

It was the beginning of the year. February was not over yet, and it had snowed a lot last night. It was nearly the end of the afternoon.

As usual, Itachi was training in the forest, not so far away from the compound. With Father still on a mission and Mother cooking dinner for tonight, Sasuke and I had decided to go and see our big brother and had given her the slip. We had run together in direction of the forest, which was still snowy, my brother firmly holding my hand. We had laughed out loud all the way.

The place had been really easy to find, as it was not the first time we went there. Once we had reached it, we had immediately looked for Itachi, and it had not taken us too long to find the clearest where he was. Sasuke had hidden behind a tree; as for me, I had squatted behind a big bush. From here, I had an unobstructed view of my eldest brother. He was standing still, in the middle of the clearest. I just saw him close his eyes, before he disappeared, and I gasped in surprise. The next second, he was in the air, Sharingan activated and was throwing kunais at targets that were here and there; there was even one behind a rock. He did not miss any of them.

When he landed on the ground, Sasuke did not bother to hide anymore and stepped out of his hideout; his eyes were twinkling with admiration and pride.

“That was amazing, big brother! You nailed every target without even looking at them! I want to do that, too!”

I was about to show myself too, when something caught my eye. It was a little blue bird, chirping on the branch of a nearby tree, the one Sasuke had hidden behind. This bird was so beautiful that I could not repress the need to discreetly come closer to it. Alas, it flew away as soon as I moved, so I just decided to chase it and immediately run after him, into the forest.

I did not immediately realize that I was drawing away from my brothers, neither did I noticed I had left the forest for quite a few minutes now. This only hit me when the blue bird finally became out of sight and disappeared into the sky. When I looked around me, I was somewhere in the streets of Konoha, alone. The sun was slowly going down, and I just did not know what to do, now. The only thing I was able to do and that came to my mind was to call my brothers; maybe one of them would respond. They could not be so far away, right? I used my hands as a megaphone and started to shout, as loud as I could. It was not like I had any other options anyway.

Well, I had not planned that my yelling would allow some aggressors to find me.

I jumped in surprise and turn around when I heard them coming. They were three people, who must be older than me, as they had a forehead protector. _Oh, no!_ Their hair was dark, as well as their clothes. And their smile was so evil! I was not feeling well and reassured with them around, and feel the urge to back up, and I did so. But they were moving at the same time as me, and when I stepped aside they stepped forward.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Isn’t it the youngest child of the Uchiha clan?”

“W–What do you want?”

Did they know who I was because of the Uchiha crest on my clothes? I moved backwards, being more and more afraid, and tears started to fill up my eyes.

“Come on, little girl,” the eldest one, who was probably the leader of their group, said. “Be quiet, give us everything you have and no harm will be done to you.”

“I don’t have money. Please, leave me alone! Anyone, help!” I screamed.

Apparently, the leader did not seem to be pleased with that. “Too bad, you’ve just sealed your destiny.”

I bit my lips. I was secretly hoping that someone, whoever it was, had heard me. All I heard was silence, except for the sound of my feet on the snow. My heart loudly pounded in my chest when I saw the three of them taking a kunai out of their pocket; they were becoming more menacing as the seconds went by. I did not know what they intended to do with their weapons, and besides, I did not really want to know it. I cautiously went backwards and backwards, until my back hit something solid. I just needed a touch to understand that I was actually against a wall. It was probably the one of a house. I did not see what it could have been otherwise. And it meant I had no mean to escape the gang. I saw them coming dangerously close to me, and fear passed in my eyes. My colors were all running dry because of the fear that was inside of me. I closed my eyes; this was over, I could not do anything.

“You cowards! Leave her alone and get way!”

I gasped, taken aback. Where was this voice coming from? Plus, I was sure there was nobody around, when I had checked… What did it mean? Even my three attackers did not seem to understand what was going on and turned around to see who the person who had talk was. I slowly opened up my eyes.

This was when I first saw them.

It was a young boy, who was probably my age; in any case, he was not so much taller than me. He had knuckle hair as golden as the sun and big eyes as blue as the sky. His complexion was olive; he had a white jacket, dark jeans and a red scarf around his neck. What was the most surprising in his appearance was probably the fact that he was wearing large green goggles around his head. He had clenched his fists and looked determinate. It looked like he would never give up, no matter what was lying ahead.

I gasped in terror. _He is going to be beaten up!_

The three boys glanced at each other knowingly, and then they burst out laugh. I was shaking; I did not want him to be hurt inside of me.

“Who do you think you are? The young boy who’s going to save his damsel in distress?”

“I am the greatest Hokage to be, believe it! And I’m going to teach you a lesson!”

The three burst out laugh again. “Oh yeah, ‘the greatest Hokage’, really? And you have the pretention to think that you’re going to defeat us? How stupid.”

 _I’m sorry… I never asked for you to be involved in this…_ I was so sure that it would be an adult who would come to my rescue… What were we going to do, now? The blonde and I weren’t at the Academy yet, and our assailants were already genins, I had no idea about the way we were going to get rid of them.

“Wait,” one of them said, “I think I recognize this boy. You know, he is the brat everyone in the village despises.”

Pain flashed in the boy’s blue eyes the moment he heard those words. He gritted his teeth.

“You mean _that_ brat?” the chief asked. He smiled in satisfaction when the other nodded. “Interesting. Beat the hell out of him will be even more satisfying.”

“I’m not gonna let you touch her!” the boy shouted.

He rushed forwards to them, like he did not care what would happen to him. My eyes widened in terror as the leader punched him so hard in the stomach that he coughed blood. He felt on his knees, stunned, only to be knocked on the head and fall flat on his face. Then, two of them, they took his scarf and began to torn it apart. As for their leader, he continued to kick the boy. I could not hold back my tears anymore and cried. They seemed to have forgotten about me, but my sobs caught their attention; here was their evil smile again. I gulped, as I was still against a wall and there was not any way-out to help me get out of there. The leader began to approach me again, while his two partners his crimes had switch roles with him and were now hurting the blonde, who was laying on the floor.

“So…” he said, his kunai in his hand. “Where were we already?”

I nearly had a heart attack, seeing him coming so close to me, and I was still shaking with terror, when someone suddenly appeared before me. I could only see his back, but I knew who he was for sure.

“Don’t you dare to touch her, or I can assure you’re not going to understand what happens to you.”

“Itachi!”

 _How has he…?!_ I had thought until now he was still looking for me, if he had even noticed I had disappeared in the beginning. Apparently, his height and his reputation as a genius, as well as his threatening, were enough to scare the three attackers. The leader stepped back and ordered the two other to go away, and they all leave without further ado. I sighed in relied, my hand on my chest. As soon as my brother was sure they were out of sight and had disappeared, he turns toward me, deeply concerned, and gently put his hands on my shoulders.

“Are you okay, little sister?!”

I first did not respond to him, still in shock. It took me a few seconds before I found the strength to nod, and it was only at this moment Itachi begin to relax. He took a deep breath, probably wanting to say something to me, but I did not let him do so. I already know he was worried about me, I also knew I was lucky that he found me in time and rescued me; there was something of the utmost importance I had to check. We could speak later.

I weakly smiled at him and gently removed his hands from my shoulders. Much to his surprise, I run past him, towards the young blonde boy who had tried to save me. He had not move and was laying on the floor, motionless, his scarf not so far away from him. I was relieved to hear him grunt: for a moment, I had though him dead.

“Is it going to be alright?” I asked, in a quiet tone, offering him a hand.

He looked at it with surprise, and finally grabbed it. We both stood up.

“I think so…” he answered. He let his hand run through his hair.

“Thanks a lot, for having come to my rescue,” I said, blushing. “My name’s Asuka, Asuka Uchiha. And this,” I said, pointing at Itachi, “is my big brother, Itachi. It’s nice to meet you.”

 _I don’t know what could have been if you hadn’t been there._ I extended my hand to him. He gazed at it and blinked, as if he did not know why I was doing this and what he was supposed to do. Then he looked up at me. Was something wrong?

“You… You’re not afraid of me?”

I looked at him in concerned. “Why would I be?”

Definitely, he was less confident than he had been earlier. He stared down shamelessly.

“… You heard them. The whole village fears me and hates me…”

“Well, you’re my friend, and you nearly saved my life, so I will never ever despise you.”

I softly smiled at him. If he thought I was going to be afraid of him just because everyone in the village was, well he did not know me at all. There was no way I turned my back on him just because someone else had told me too. He had helped me when I needed him the most, so this was only normal he became my friend, even though we had not known each other for long. His blue eyes widened, as well as his mouth. It was like he had never heard the word ‘friend’ before.

“We… We’re friends? Like, for real?”

“Of course we are! I mean, only if you agree, obviously…”

My cheeks slightly reddened and I looked away, embarrassed. I was becoming a little excited here, but well, this boy had something who made me want to stay by his side forever. As for the blonde, his eyes sparkled with joy and he grinned.

“Sure! I’m Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you too, Asuka.”

He did not hesitate anymore and shook my hand. We both chuckled.

“I think this scarf belongs to you, right?” Itachi said to Naruto, as he came closer to us.

We both looked at the scarf Itachi was holding in his hands. The three boys had clearly worn it out, up to a point where we could barely guess it was a scarf in the first place. Naruto sighed sadly and took it. I tried to cheer him up with a smile; when he saw it, he smiled back at me. After that he looked at the scarf, then looked at me, then looked at the scarf, then looked at me again.

“Would you mind taking it with you? It is not really useful anymore, but… it could be the sign of our new _friendship_.”

I blushed, a lot more than last time, especially on how he had insisted on the last word. “Well… If it doesn’t bother you… I would be glad to take it. Who knows?” I said after he handed the gift to me. “Maybe my mother will be able to fix it.”

Naruto smiled widely. We looked in each other eyes for a moment, before Itachi brought us to reality

“I’m sorry to say that, but we have to go home, Asuka. Mother and Father are waiting for us.”

“Aw, that’s right,” I sighed. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I have to go. But I hope we’ll see each other soon!”

“Of course we will, believe it! See you next time, then?”

“Yeah, see you soon!”

And this is how I befriended Naruto Uzumaki, the first friend of my life.

He waved goodbye at me, and I waved back at him, while I was holding my brother’s hand in mine. It was when I did not see him anymore that I stopped waving. I had put the scarf on, and surprisingly enough, I could smell Naruto’s odor on the fabric. My cheeks turned bright pink and I closed my eyes. I feel so well with this scarf around my neck… It was a feeling I had never experienced before, but I really liked it. _I wish I will be able to see Naruto soon. I can’t wait to play with him._ Soon I would enter the Academy. Was there a chance for me to see him there?

“You know, you really scared me to death. When I saw you chase this bird and going off the forest, I seriously panicked. It’s a good thing I was here on time.”

I opened my eyes and looked down in shame. That was right, Itachi had really saved my and Naruto’s lives, on this one. His timing had just been perfect. I really owed him one. I was worried about the blonde that I had not seen Itachi was just as concerned as I had been for Naruto.

“Sorry for all the trouble, Itachi. I didn’t mean to make you worry so much.”

“The most important thing is that you learnt your lesson. Besides, you made a new friend. And I think you caught his eye.”

“Big brother!” I protested, offended.

He chuckled and I could not help myself blushing. Why did he need to say such things? It was not even true! It was just that Naruto was my first friend. Actually, he had been the one willing to save my life today, and that was just enough for me. I was glad we had met, today. I hoped I would see him again and we would be able to play along and get to know each other well. I did not much about him except for his name.

We had been walking for about five minutes, and my brother was explaining to me he had let Sasuke go back home alone, when I suddenly stumbled over a small stone. I cried in pain. “Ouch!”

“Asuka, are you all right?” Itachi asked.

I gritted my teeth while he crouched down. “F–Fine. I just was not paying enough attention and you see what happened.”

He touched my foot and I let out a cry of pain once. _Geez it really hurts…_ I did not think I had the strength to stood up, a feeling Itachi confirmed when he looked at me in the eyes and slightly shook his head.

“I fear you’re not going to be able to walk again, so I’ll carry you home on my back. You and Sasuke have really a gift to break your ankle; you’re really twins.”

And with that, we headed to the compound. Itachi was carrying me on his back, just like he had said, and I had put my hands around his neck. I let my head laid against his and closed my eyes. A few seconds later, I was daydreaming, mainly about Naruto and my entrance to the Academy. It was like a dream who was going to fulfill. I could finally proof to my father that we were as good as Itachi was at our age. I would make our parents proud, and I was sure Sasuke would too. We would do our utmost to achieve this goal and be as strong as our big brother. I also hoped I would make new friends there. Well, I was especially thinking of someone with blue eyes and golden hair who had recently saved my life…

***

By the end of April, Sasuke and I had made our first steps at the Academy. It had not been easy, though. For the Entrance Ceremony, we needed one of our parents or somebody of our family to come with us. As Mother had to take care of the house, she could not be this person. As for Father, he had not had any interest in that sort of things; I highly doubted he had been aware that it was this year we would entered the Academy. My dear twin brother had gently tried to remember him of this fact, but Fugaku had not cared at all, being so obsessed about Itachi’s tomorrow mission. The latter threatened our father about not going on said mission if nobody accompanied us. With that, Fugaku finally agreed to come to the school with us while Itachi was on his mission. We met the Third Hokage for the first time, a man who, despite his old age, immediately made you feel sympathy for him. Well, as the chief of our village, he was a man of confidence, at least that was what I thought when I saw him. It made me think of Naruto and how he had said he would be the next Hokage of Konoha; the incident had only happened two months ago, but I had gotten over it, now. I looked for the blonde all the day, but I saw him nowhere.

A year went by, during which some small things changed. I was filled with happiness when I finally noticed Naruto was in the same class as me and Sasuke; this was the moment when we truly began to know each other, just as all friends did. However, it was hardly a bed of roses: Itachi was acting weirder than ever; even our father who always praised him seemed to have distanced himself from his eldest child. By the end of October, we learnt that Shisui had been declared missing. And we learnt it quite the hard way.

The day was coming to an end. Father was out, Mother was cooking dinner, and I was outside, discussing with Itachi and Sasuke. We were talking about everything and nothing, when our attention was caught by some voices asking if Itachi was there; apparently, they wished to talk to him. Nobody responded at first, and I did not dare to move, so I just stayed where I was, with my siblings. A few seconds later, I my eldest brother stood up and walked into the room.

I looked at Sasuke and saw we just have had the same idea coming to our mind. We _had_ to see what was going on exactly and why those people were looking for our big brother. Something had been off for a few months now, and we had to know what it was all about. So we stood up in turn and discreetly came back inside, to hide behind a wall near the front door, making sure nobody could see us. As for Itachi, he was now only focused on the persons – they were men, judging by the tone of their voices – who wanted to see him. They began to talk and, from what I could understand, the men were people of our clan and they were not pleased at all with the fact that Itachi had not come to an important assembly, yesterday.

“We’d like to ask you a bit more about something. It’s about Shisui Uchiha who died after throwing himself into the Nakano River last night.”

The world around me spinned and I nearly threw up. _Shisui’s dead?!_ I could not believe it. Shisui had come to our house several times, being my big brother’s best friend. We were quite close to him; he always gave us presents for our birthdays and had always been nice with us, so why would he commit suicide? Unlike Itachi, he had not been acting weird, for the past six months. I believed he felt fine, I had not thought for a second that he would end his life, especially as his birthday was next week. Just what had happened for such a tragedy to occur? This just could not be real, there had to be an explanation!

“Why don’t you just come out and say it?” I heard Itachi asked. “You all suspect me, right?”

My eyes widened in shock. They could not seriously believe that? Itachi was a peaceful man and Shisui was his best friend. Why would have he done such a thing? It does not made sense at all. He was the best brother you could have hoped for. Could the police forces not see that and let our family alone? None of us had anything to do with Shisui’s death. It had all been so sudden… I could not believe they considered a member of their own clan as a potential culprit.

What happened next was indescribable.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and dealt with defeating the policemen who had insinuated we had something to do with his best friend’s death. They were three: Yashiro Uchiha, who had short spiky light brown hair and a purple shirt; Tekka Uchiha, who had shoulder-length grey hair and a blue shirt; and fnally, Inabi Uchiha who has long dark hair and a black shirt – he was the scariest of the three, to me. I did not really know them well, but I knew they were my father’s subordinates, and I owed them respect just as I owed respect to every member of our clan. _That’s weird… Why would they believe Itachi is a killer? Just because he’s acting a bit strangely doesn’t mean he murdered someone._ And above all… What was my big brother trying to do, by defeating them? They would get even more angry and would arrest him! What was coming over him, trying to attack members of our clans who were also policemen? This was not the right way to prove his innocence; he could not act like that! He was going to pay dearly if he did not stop right now.

I was shocked. Next to me, Sasuke was not in a better state either, as he was almost shaking with fear. Things got worse when Fugaku suddenly appeared out of nowhere, puzzled and deeply displeased about the scene he just had witnessed. I heard him state that Itachi had not been himself lately. The four continue to argue until one of the tree members finally said: “I’ve had enough! Captain, give us the order to arrest him!”

I gasped in horror, and buried my head in my twin brother’s chest. I could not stand, and neither could he. I felt his arms wrap me up, as he shook his head and shouted: “Big brother! Stop!”

All was silent after that. When I looked at Itachi again, he had frozen and was standing still right in front of us; then he crouched down. It looked like seeing his siblings there had prevented him from going too far this time. I felt better seeing he had calmed down. He usually was not quick-tempered, and I hoped the policemen would forgive him. He was my and Sasuke’s big brother and we did not want to lose him: he was too much precious for use. What could be going on his mind, right now? I wish he would talk to us about what was weighing on his heart. Were not we his family, after all? Did he think we were too young?

“I did not kill Shisui. But I apologize for the words I’ve spoken. I’m truly sorry.”

I bit my lips, then grabbed Sasuke’s hand and squeezed it. I was just as stunned as he was, to be honest. But as we were brother and sister and more especially twins, we had to be here for each other. He shyly smiled when he felt my hand on his, and we both looked at our brother again. I hoped everything would go back to normal soon, so there would be no need to worry about anything. I just wanted us to be a family again. And no matter what Itachi was concerned for, he had to talk to someone about it. I felt like our family would explode, otherwise; and I was on the verge of tears myself.

Finally, Yashiro, Tekka and Inabi left when our father promised to keep an eye on his eldest son. He then asked him to go back inside. When Itachi went past us, he smiled at us politely, almost sadly, and Sasuke and I could not take our eyes off him. It was only when Fugaku entered in turn in the room and told us to prepare ourselves for dinner that we somehow came back to reality. So we walked to the kitchen, where Mother was finishing preparing dinner; we set the table and a few moments later, we were enjoying the evening meal as a family.

Little did we know, it was only a matter of time before the storm raged on.

And we were just in the middle of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of the first part of the introduction!
> 
> I wanted to post the whole introduction, but I found it might be a little to much to put in only one chapter. You can tell me in the comments if you're fine with the length of this first chapter or if you don't mind if it's a little longer.  
> Also, I intend to quite follow the canon – there would be a few differences for now. The couples will be canon, except for Naruto and Hinata, so Naru/Hina fans, this fic is not for you. Asuka is going to replace Sakura in Team Seven because I don't like that much teams of four ninjas and I never saw that in Naruto (except the Sound Quarter and Team Hebi/Taka but they are exceptions, for me). That does not mean Sakura will diseappear, though, just that she will be in another genin team. Are you fine with that? Just tell me.
> 
> I cannot give a date for the next chapter. I have nearly finished the second part of the introduction, but I would like to go further so I can have a few chapters in advance.  
> Stay tunned!


	2. Introduction – Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the second part of the introduction.
> 
> In this chapter, Itachi's siblings are making their first steps at the Academy.  
> However, they're also going to learn about Shisui's death, and see their entire clan being slaughtered by their eldest brother...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I just realized it has been a week since I posted the first chapter. I did not intend to post the second chapter so soon, but a week is a just fine! Can't guarantee I will be able to keep up with publishing each week, though. For the chapters to come, you'll probably have to wait longer between each of them.
> 
> Anyway! Quite a few things happen in this chapter, but you'll see that by yourself. I know people writing about Naruto are used to use japanese words like "nii-san", "yatta", "dattebayo" (which is translated in English by 'believe it' so do you think I should do it to? Well, you can tell me all that in the comment section.
> 
> Enjoy!

# Introduction – Part Two

It happened the night before our eighth birthday.

Well, before Sasuke’s birthday, as I was technically born the day after him.

It had been another normal day at the Academy. By “normal”, I meant that Naruto and Sasuke had fought against each other, as they always did. I did not really know why, but since our entrance to the Academy, the blonde had somehow decided he wanted to surpass my brother in any way he could, and was always trying to show to our class that he was better than him. Was it about using Jutsu or throwing shuriken, the blue-eyed boy had this deep desire to prove his superiority to Sasuke… But no matter how hard he tried or what he did, Sasuke always was the winner of their little fights, and Naruto ended up being the one who was ridiculous. At first, these funny situations had made my schoolmates laugh, but now they were starting to be fed up with the blonde-haired boy’s behavior. Even my brother had enough of it; actually, Naruto had been annoying him since the very first day of school when they had first met.

I, on the contrary, had become closer to Naruto than nobody in Konoha had ever been; my brother did not understand our friendship, bye the bye. But I did not care about that. Being with Naruto had allowed me to understand him better. He had told me he had no parents, and that he lived since recently in an apartment not so far from the center of the village. Another thing I had learnt was that I was his first and only friend. This was due to the fact that most of the citizen despised him and hated him. I could not believe that when he had told it to me, but, on thinking about it, I had never seen someone be actually nice with him. The worst was that he did not know why everybody was acting so disdainfully when he was around. They glared at him with resentment and hatred, and I could not understand why; my mother had been very happy when I had told her I had befriended Naruto; it was like she had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. She regularly asked Sasuke if he had decided to be Naruto’s friend too, but my twin brother did not seem to be ready for that. _It’s only a matter of time,_ I had told myself numerous times. And I was sure mother thought the same way as I did. Until this day came, I tried to play with the blond as much as I could, when school was over.

That afternoon, however, I had stayed with Sasuke in order to practice shuriken throwing. Though we both were at the top of our class, it still was not enough for my brother, and I think Father was not uninvolved with all this. It seemed that Sasuke tried to impress Fugaku the same way Naruto tried to impress his classmates. I remembered how hard it had been for us to learn the Fireball Jutsu. Father always compared us to Itachi when he had the same age as us. Well, it was especially Sasuke that he criticized. I was a girl, so, just like my mother, having basic techniques was enough; when I would be older, I would be married and a perfect housewife. It seemed logical Father was expecting more from Sasuke than from me.

It had been an intensive training, up to the point we had not seen time pass. Of course, when we saw what time it was, we immediately headed back to the compound, before anybody began to worry, especially our parents or our brother. The white full moon was shining brightly in the dark as we were running back home. Sasuke was complaining on how late we were, when _something_ made us stop at some distance from a big wooden post, situated near our house. We looked up, but there was not anything special.

“You’ve got it too?” I asked Sasuke.

He nodded. “That feeling that there was someone there…”

We exchanged a knowing look. It did not exactly look good to us. And unfortunately, we did not know how right we were to think that. The nightmare… had just begun.

What made us twitched first was that there were no lights, and it was quite unusual, at this time in the evening, especially as Father and Mother must probably be waiting for us. The Uchiha was a big and powerful clan, so there always was animation, people moving behind the windows, smell of meals and so much other things that made the compound… lively. But there was nothing of the sort, tonight, and it was not normal.

Sasuke was the first to discover the bodies of our uncle and our aunt lying on the floor. We immediately knew they were dead. My brother called them, but there was no answer. As for me, I was not able to move when I saw them motionless like that, and put a hand on my lips; tears began to roll down my pale cheeks soon after. _Who… who could have done that? And why?!_ I sobbed and closed my eyes. It was too much to bear for me. Two members of my family had been killed; I did not know how it was possible. Maybe the murderer was still in the compound. If that was the case, then our lives were to come to an end soon if he found us here. And, I could not lie to myself; he probably had killed other persons of our clan. That was indeed confirmed when I saw other bodies lying on the floor further away; corpses were covering the way leading to our house; I could not see them because it was dark, so I put the other hand on my lips and stepped back, in shock. Sasuke saw the corpses too and took me in his arms as I was crying. I had not thought for a second to witness such a vision of horror, except when it had to do with horror movies, but I was not fond of that. Besides, I was too young to see such things: I was only seven, eight soon. Blood was staining the walls of the compound, and kunai and shuriken could be seen anywhere. It was a real battlefield.

And the worst was yet to come.

“It’s going to be alright,” my twin brother said, hugging me as much as he could. “Let’s find Father and Mother, and then we’ll be safe and sound. Okay?”

I just nodded. I could not say anything anyway. I know Sasuke was trying to reassure me, but I did not feel better at all. Nevertheless, I let him grab my hand and lead me towards our house as quick as he could. It was hard to follow him, because he was running faster than me, but he was firmly holding my wrist, so I did not lost him and focused on my breathing. The images of the dead bodies of the members of our clan were swirling in my head and I began to feel seek. I would not be able to stand something like that again or I would throw up for sure.

As soon as we went inside the house, we removed our schoolbags and our shoes and left them on the floor. It was dark but the moonlight was enough for us to see our surroundings. All was silent; there were no lights, and there no sign of life either. I thought I would have heard my mother humming while she was cooking, or out Father talking with Itachi about how strong and clever he was. But I could not see anyone in there. So, when Sasuke slightly called my name, I followed him and we headed to the family room.

Sasuke hesitantly opened the door, with trembling hands. The first thing we saw was Itachi standing just before us, his eyes closed, in his ANBU uniform. At his feet, right in front of us, were bodies Sasuke and I immediately recognized at our parents’; Fugaku’s corpse was laying over Mikoto’s. My twin brother did not wait any longer and began to shout, as I stepped back in horror. _What– What happened in here?!_

“What is this?! Father! Mother!” Sasuke did not make a move but he was shaking with fear, and shook his head while clenching his fists at the same time. His eyes closed. “Big brother! Father and Mother are …!”

His voice trailed off and he could not finish his sentence. It was not possible. They could not… They could not be dead, not _just like that_? What had happened while we were training? And why Itachi did not seem to be shocked or shattered? Why was he staying so calm while the bodies of our parents were near him? Tears rolled down my cheeks and only my sobs could be heard for one moment in the room. But I was sure Sasuke was on the verge of tears too, even if he always said that a true ninja does not show his feelings. I quickly lost all my senses, as well as the notion of time. I felt sick, sick, and I just wanted this nightmare to end, one way or another. I wanted to know everything would go back to normal in a few second. Maybe all this was a very bad joke, after all. Maybe all this was just a dream. I might have somehow fallen asleep during the training with my twin, and it was only a matter of time before I woke up. That’s what I was telling myself, at least, because I could not admit the simple truth.

“Why?” Sasuke’s voice echoed through the room. “What happened?! Who would do such a thing?!”

That’s when Itachi suddenly throw a shuriken at Sasuke, which missed its target by a few inches. It had been so close that it tore Sasuke’s sweatshirt and blood escape from the wound the weapon had left on his left shoulder. My twin brother stopped breathing and so did I. _The weapon almost killed Sasuke!_ We glanced at each other in terror, before looking at Itachi, who had not move at all. _Itachi…! For God’s sake, will you tell us what’s the meaning of this? What at are you getting at by threatening us in such a way?_ It did not make sense. Nothing since we had returned to the compound made sense, actually. Itachi was acting stranger than he had in the past few months, and I could not figure out why.

“Foolish little siblings.”

Before I or Sasuke could do anything, Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and focused on his little brother. The latter was immediately trapped in a world of illusion and began to scream in pain, his hand on his head.

I instinctively hugged him, in order to try to calm him down or at least, to support him. I could not do anything anyway. I did not have awakened my Sharingan yet, so I could not break the genjutsu Itachi had put our brother under. And even if I had had this ability, my eldest brother was that strong that I could not have freed Sasuke. Itachi had always been a genius; he still was and would always be one. We were too young to have a chance to win a fight with him. He was more powerful that we would ever be. He was praised by our father for a good reason.

“Please, that’s enough, big brother!” I pleaded him, my cheeks wet with tears.

“Stop it, Big Brother! Why are you showing me all of this?!”

As soon as Itachi deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke fell all sprawled out on the floor. His complexion was paler than it had ever been, and saliva came out from his mouth. He was struggling to breathe and his eyes were empty of any sign of emotion. It was like… he had been broken from the inside. What did Itachi had done to him? Why was he in such a state?

“Sasuke!” I gasped and fell on my knees by side, taking his hand and trying to feel a pulse. I needed to be sure he was still alive. Fortunately I felt him squeeze my hand, and I sighed in relief. Whatever he had just been through, he was not dead. I did not know what I would have done if he had. Only this morning, we were the perfect family: Father was reading the newspaper, Mother was cooking breakfast, Itachi was talking with us, and now… everyone had been killed and our big brother, the one who should have protected us, was threatening us.

“Why? Why did you do this?”

I jumped and looked at Sasuke, who still had not enough strength to move. The words he had just say had petrified me. _Did I hear well? He couldn’t possibly mean… Itachi is the killer?_ But why would he have done that? There was no reason for him to commit such a crime!

This was what I thought, until those words came out from his very mouth.

“To measure my abilities.”

I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears shining in my eyes. What was wrong with him, all of a sudden? Why was he telling that to us? He could not have killed our parents just like that! _I refuse to think that! Itachi has always been a pacifist; I can’t imagine he would do such a thing! At least, not without a good reason!_ It was not like him. What was going on his mind?

“To measure your abilities” Sasuke repeated, between two sobs. “That’s all? Just for that you killed everyone?”

“It is of great importance,” he replied, without further explanations.

 _It’s so hard to believe…_ I winced, and hold Sasuke tighter. I had somehow the feeling that if I hugged him as much as I could, nothing would happen to us. Was I a fool to think that, knowing that Itachi had slaughtered our entire clan effortlessly, and that he would probably do the same with us, without feeling pity for us? _I would like to know… Does he feel something, about what he has done? Does he feel pride? Does he feel guilt? Does he feel shame? Does he even care at all, in the end?_ I shook my head; he could not have killed our clan and then, do not feel anything about what had happened, no matter how crazy or mad he was! He was _human_ , _not_ a killer without any emotions inside of him! I know how he was, I had known him since I was born! So why could not I recognize him? Why could not I believe he was a murderer despite the truth lying before us? Why could not I help myself but finding that something was off, with him, tonight. _That_ Itachi was not the loving and caring Itachi who had been by our side for years. There was something behind all this.

I could not reflect upon this much longer, because my attention was caught by Sasuke who was trying as he could to stand up. He was still shaking, but his rage was so strong that he was finally able to somehow stand on his feet and rushed towards Itachi.

“Sasuke no!” I exclaimed.

“Are you kidding me?! I feel like I’m going to be crazy! Just answer!” he yelled

By way of answer, our big brother just punched my twin had in the gut, and the latter collapsed again on the floor. Tears come up to my eyes, and I let them roll down my cheeks as I cried his name. My legs were shaking, but I could not stay like this, watching my brother being beaten up by my eldest brother. _I have to do something, I have to take Sasuke and get out of here before Itachi kills us too! I don’t want to die! I want to live!_

But…

Did living while everybody was dead still made sense?

 _Father… Mother…_ I looked at their corpses, in front of which Sasuke was now lying. _I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry Sasuke and I came back home so late. If we had make it time, we… We would have been to save you. We could have do something. We could have prevented Itachi from murdering the clan…_ Fugaku and Mikoto had been good parents, even though our father were speaking highly of Itachi and did not really know how to show us his affection. But I was sure they both had deeply love us. And now it was all over. The good times and the good memories.

Then, all happened slowly. I saw Sasuke stand up once again, and he said something but I could not hear what. I then saw him turn, while I was staring blankly at the scene, as if I was not even here. He grabbed my hand and, without completely realizing it, I found myself running with him in the compound. Sometimes, I could see corpses laying on the streets, but what I would remember above all from that night would be Sasuke crying and begging our brother to spare us. He was crying so much, just like me; we were at loss, we had nowhere to go and we were alone. All that made us happy, our daily joy, all of this had been taken away by a person we had loved more than any other and maybe more than ourselves. And that was still the case for me. I loved Itachi and I could not stop loving him, even after all what he had done. I wanted to believe that he had a good reason to do this; I wanted to believe he was still our big brother who had taken care of us and had watched over us. It was what I clung myself to. I needed to believe in something, right know. I needed to know there was still hope.

And maybe Sasuke needed that too, in a sense; when Itachi caught up with us and suddenly appeared in front of us, my twin was the first to say something, while our eldest brother was looking at us with no emotion in his eyes. Was he acting? Was all this just about acting? It had to be. It really had to be.

“It’s a lie! This isn’t like you, big brother! It can’t be!”

I felt his hand squeeze mine. I took a deep breath to relax, and spoke in turn.

“You had always been here for us, Itachi. You had plenty of moments to test your abilities, so why now? You can’t have done that, we know you too well!”

“I acted like the oldest brother you desired in order to measure your vessel,” he simply responded, as if he did not really care about all this.

Sasuke gasped and my eyes widened. _To measure our vessel? That’s all?_ But we were not even eight! How could he have decided such a thing while we were so young? _Itachi had never been interested in power. He believed in peace. Why would he have renounced to his convictions and his ideals like that, just for us?_ Did he want us to fight him? What was he expecting from us, exactly?

I quickly had an answer.

“You will become rivals to measure my vessel against. You have that hidden potential. You've been jealous of me and resented me. You've harbored hopes of surpassing me. That is why I am allowing you to live.”

_I never was jealous, Itachi! I admired you, I dreamed of being like you and in one single night, you shattered all what I was holding dear and believing in! It doesn’t matter what potential I or Sasuke have. I just want everything to go back to normal!_

But my eldest brother did not care about all that. He talked to us about this particular power he possessed, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and how we would be able to obtain it too, on the condition that we would have to kill our best friend. As soon as he said that, the image of Naruto soon came up to my mind, and it was crystal clear for me that I would never kill him or anyone else to gain this power. I had no intention to follow Itachi’s order, and above all, I did not understand why he was telling us all this. Did not he really care about us that much that he wanted us to kill someone we loved to end up as criminals? He was not himself at all, tonight, but I did not know what the meaning behind all this was. And, contrary to what he told us, I refused to believe that _he_ have been able to kill Shisui. They were like brothers, and Shisui would not have let himself be murdered like that. They were to close and Shisui was as strong as our brother. Plus, nobody had been more peaceful than those two. The more I thought, the more I found things did not add up.

He evoked the Nakano Shrine and the Uchiha’s hidden meeting room under the tatami, as well as a member of our clan who would still be alive. Knowing that was a shock of course, but it was Itachi’s last words that stayed etched in my mind above anything else.

“If you wish to kill me, resent me, hate me, and survive in obscurity. Keep running and cling to life. Then one day, come before me with the same eye that I possess.”

I hiccupped when I heard that. _Itachi…!_ He could not have said that! He was part of our family, why should we do that? Did he really want things to go that way? Were we so useless that he was just leaving like this, without finishing properly his work? Did we have so little worth that he had claimed? I shook my head. _Itachi, you’ve never been good at acting. You could not have been so caring and loving with us if we were just vessels for you. You love us… right?_ I bit my lips, and my eyesight became blurred by tears. All the dear times we had shared together were not a lie. Something in my heart told me that there was more behind all this. Sasuke and I were too young to know what is was all about, exactly. And I would not blame Itachi until I knew what had really been going on, on that night. Our brother wanted us to hate him so badly that it had been the opposite effect on me. And now…

“I’ll never hate you, Itachi.”

He gasped in surprise, but it was so slight that I would have thought I had dream if I had not seen his lips move.

“Asuka!” Sasuke exclaimed.

“No matter what you said, no matter what you did, I’ll never hate you.”

“I just slaughtered the entire clan, told you I have never been the perfect brother you thought I was, and you’re just… fine with it? What else do you need to despise me?”

I looked down. “You didn’t understand. I’m not fine with it. But you’re my brother. I love you more than anything else in the world. And for love is stronger than hatred, I will love you always.”

There was silent for a few seconds after that. Sasuke did not speak, neither did Itachi. They both must be surprised. Sasuke probably did not understand why I still had feelings for our brother while he had slaughtered our clan, and Itachi certainly did not have expected me to love him after all he had just done.

But feelings can’t be controlled, can they?

I finally gathered my strength to speak to my eldest brother one last time, and my lips curved upwards.

I wanted his last memory of me to be a smile.

_I will love you always._

“Until… the very end.”

Then, I felt my legs give out because of so much pressure, and I fainted. Everything becomes black after that.

***

When I woke up, the morning after, the first thing I saw was white. White all around me.

It did not take me long to notice I was in a hospital. I sat up in my bed; stiffness made me winced in pain, but it looked like I had nothing more serious than that. That was good to know. _If I’m here, it means what happened… was not a nightmare, then?_ My chest tightened, and I felt like I was going to cry. How had we come to that? Only in one night? Was it all because of Itachi? It seemed quite hard, even for him, to kill all the members of our clan in so little time. And, on top of that, he had committed this murder the night before Sasuke’s birthday…

I suddenly jumped.

_Sasuke!_

Where was he? It had been a total blackout and I did not know what had happened to him after that. _I have to find him!_ I pulled away the blankets and tried to get up. I was still wearing my casual outfit, that is to say a navy blue tee-shirt and a grey skirt; they had not give me a hospital coat, it probably meant my condition was good and that they did not intend to keep me long in hospitalization, so there were no problems if I left now…

… Were there?

“Miss Asuka, where do you think you’re going?” a nurse with black haired tied into a ponytail asked, stepping into the room. “You’re not allowed to leave for now!”

Despite my protests, she ordered me to go back to bed and put the blankets on my legs again. _It seems like I haven’t a lot of options._ I sure needed to rest after all what had recently happened. If I did not, I was going to collapse again, and this is not what I wanted. What’s more, she could probably tell me where Sasuke was.

“Excuse me, do you know where my brother is?”

“Actually, I… I don’t know. His bed is next to you, but when I came to see how you both were doing, he had already left. No one knows where he went, but he probably left the hospital. We’ll let you know if we find him.”

I thanked her. She smiled at me and then did a blood test, while telling me I would be allowed to leave tomorrow morning. She had just removed the needle from my skin when the door suddenly swung open, with Naruto standing in the doorframe.

“Asuka!”

I could hear others nurses were yelling his name in the corridor, but he did not seem to care about them.

“Asuka, are you all right?”

“Naruto! I had told you to stay in the waiting room! I was in the middle of an exam!” the nurse shouted.

Even if it was just a blood test, she was right. Should Naruto have come sooner, maybe the nurse would not have jabbed properly and would have had to do it again. On the other hand, Naruto was not really known to be patient, and as one of his closest friend, I could certify it. But he was just worried, after all. And I was happy to see a familiar face in this place.

“Sorry…” he apologized, scratching the back of his head. “It’s just that when I saw you entering in Asuka’s room, I thought she was awake, and I really wanted to see her.”

The nurse sighed “I’d do well to leave you alone. I’m done with the exams for now, anyway.”

She left the room and closed the door behind her. Naruto then took a seat and sat by my side.

“So… How do you feel?”

“I’m… fine. Physically, at least. But how did you know I was here in the first place?”

“Well, this morning I was looking for you to know if you wanted to play with me. This is when I learnt what had happened with the Uchihas last night, so I rushed to the hospital.”

I looked away. _Great. All Konoha is aware of the massacre. Gossips must be rife, then. This was exactly what I needed._ I just had lost a brother and all my family, and know the whole village was going to talk about me and Sasuke, I could not have asked better. Maybe I was going to ask to stay a little longer in the hospital, after all. I did not really want people to look at me with pity and compassion, even though it meant well. I just… needed some time for myself, at the moment. That was just what I was wishing for, nothing more.

“You would not appear to have seen Sasuke, by chance? I’m really worried about him, he left and nobody knows where he is.”

“Actually… I saw him when I came to the hospital. I followed him a little and it seemed like he was heading to your compound.”

I was relieved and shocked at the same time. Now, I know where he was, so I could tell a staff member of the hospital and they would bring him back. _The question is: what is he doing over there?_ There surely must be “Do not cross” cordons all around the house, after the massacre. What was he looking for? Maybe he needed to see with his own eyes that what had happened was real. I had thought it was a nightmare too, the first seconds when I had woken up. Alas, I soon had realized that all had occurred for real. It did not make things easier though: I was feeling deeply betrayed by Itachi’s action. Not only had he slaughtered our whole family, but he had bluntly told us that we were worthless and he had no interest in us until we grow up and obtain the same eyes as his. Were not we his siblings to begin with? This obsession with power was unhealthy. If Itachi had killed everybody just to get stronger, there was no way I would get that same power that he had used for very bad reasons, to say the least.

I sighed. Oddly enough, I could not bring myself to hate him. He was my brother before anything else and he would stay my brother forever, despite all what he had done. On top of that, hating him would not bring anything positive for me. Hatred only leads to more hatred, and I did not want to live that way. There were enough shinobi wars in this world not to make things worse than they already were.

“I apologize. I should have brought Sasuke home when I saw him,” he explained when he saw I was looking at him in surprise, “but he seemed to be fine, and I was just so concerned about you! I did not really think about what to do,” he said, ashamed.

I giggled and offered him a smile. “Don’t blame yourself for that. I think it was important for him to return to the compound after… what we have been through.”

“Speaking of which… you want to talk about it? I mean, maybe you’ll feel better afterwards? Before I met you, there was nobody I could talk to, because everybody in the village hates me. I’m really happy we’re friends, believe it! I would like to help you in turn.”

I looked up. I had not thought of talking of what have happened, actually; I was surprised the nurse who had taken care of me did not ask question about that tragedy. Wasn’t it the first thing she should have asked me? Maybe she had thought I still needed some time. Yet, I could not keep all that for myself, or I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I needed and I wanted to talk of what had happened to someone. Life was going on, and I had to overcome my fears in order to free myself and not dwell on the past. Furthermore, Naruto was my best friend, and friends were here for that, right? What I meant is that Itachi used to do all by himself; he had never been the type to ask for help, somehow believing it was better to be alone. I did not want to make the same mistake as he had did, and so, my mind was made up.

I told him everything, without forgetting any detail: how my twin and I had seen corpses of our clan’s members all around our compound while coming back home late; I told him how I had seen my eldest brother standing in front of our dead parents’ bodies; I told him how he had acted to be the perfect brother, and that he wanted us to take revenge on him, and how I had collapsed in the end. I finished with the fact that I still loved Itachi and did not intended to take revenge on him for that reason. I did not really know why I said all this to him all of a sudden, but it felt good to know you could talk of such a thing with somebody. I wish Sasuke had been here, he did need to express himself about that, too. He was just as broken as I was.

When I finally stopped talking, Naruto’s eyes were shining. And then, without warning, he stood up from his chair and hugged me very tight, so much that I let a pain cry slip. _Wow, steady on! I’m suffocating…_

“I’m so sorry for you and Sasuke… If I can do anything to help you... I’ll do it!”

 _Thanks, Naruto. I’m glad I can count on you._ He seems to notice he was holding me tight because he broke the embrace after that, slightly embarrassed. That was then I saw his eyes shining and tears coming up.

“Naruto, are you crying?” I softly asked.

He looked taken aback.

“What? No!” He wiped his face with a wave of his hand. “I’m not a crybaby, believe it! It’s just that…”

His voice trailed off, and he stared down. I looked at him in concern. Was it again about the inhabitants of Konoha who had given him a hard time? Could not they mind their own business? I knew Naruto was somehow feeling better since we had met, and I did not want him to be sad because of people who could not see how so big-hearted this boy was. He just needed some attention; he never had had a family to start with, and all parents forgave their children to play with him, even though the blonde had never known why and neither had I.

“… when I learnt what had happened, I thought I you were dead! I thought I had lost you and I would never see you again!”

I gasped. _So, this is what it’s all about…_ Now that I came to think of it, Naruto sure had been shaken when he had been aware of the news… probably like everybody in the village. It was the first time everybody who was not from ma family cared about me. It looked strange, but with friends such as Naruto in my life, I felt like I could get back on my feet and move on.

I took his hand in mine – it was so warm – and gazed at him. Today he was wearing a grey tee-shirt with what I supposed to be the symbol of his clan on it – it was a habit for everyone to have clothes with the symbol of your family visible somewhere on the fabric. That and black pants with blue sandals that fitted him very well. This time he did not have the green goggles he was usually wearing, but his golden hair was spiky as ever. He blushed a little when he felt his hand on mine, but quickly looked at me, and grinned. On the end, we both laughed out loud and it only stopped when a member of the staff came to ask us to keep it down, but I’m not sure we even really cared, at the moment. It made me feel good to laugh after all what I had been through, and to know that I had people who were by my side.

It was time to forge ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of the second part of the introduction (which also means end of the whole introduction).
> 
> So did you like the chapter? I'm currently working on the fourth (which will cover Naruto and Konohamaru's encounter = the 2nd episode of the series). I think I will post the next chapter when I will have finished with the bell test, so it could take a while, depending on my writing speed (especially as English is not my mother tongue). Don't hesitate to let a kudo or a comment, I'll really appreciate it!


	3. Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Rookie Nine, it's time to take the final exam of the genin test! They all manage to succeed, except Naruto, which deeply bothers Asuka. The night after the the exam, she goes in the forest to look for Naruto, but finds herself in the middle of a terrible battle between Iruka and Mizuki. The latter's plans could put the whole village in danger, and it's up to Naruto and Asuka to save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here's a new chapter!
> 
> I already posted it a few days ago on fanfiction.net. From the feedback I received, they found Asuka's a bit too optimistic and unrealistic for an Uchiha, so... don't be too surprised with that. Those are my first chapters, and I swear I will try to write Asuka's character in a better way.
> 
> I don't have anything else to say. Just remember I'm not English, so don't hesitate to point out the mistakes. Also, feel free to leave comments, so I can get better. Just tell me the good points and the bad points, so I can fix the flaws in the chapters to come!  
> Oh yeah, another thing! I'm going back to school soon, so don't expect regular updates, please. Leaving comments might help me publishing chapters quicker, though, ah ah.
> 
> With that, enjoy!

## Chapter One – Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!

After that fatidic night, Sasuke was no longer the same. He became cold and distant with the others people of our class, and did not bother to talk to anyone. Well, it was not like he had acted very friendly with our classmates before the murder anyway, but at least, he cared about them a little, at the time, even if he never showed it, and he really paid attention in class so that he could surpass our brother one day. But now, he hardly left the compound, except to go to the Academy, to train with me, or go for a walk in the village once in a while. He did not really pay attention in class, he did not care about his classmates anymore, and each time I glanced at him, he was looking by the window. He was still the best student of our class, and so was I, but did it matter, now that our family was dead, that Itachi had left and that we had nobody to congratulate us?

As for Naruto, he would continue to show our class he was better than Sasuke; more than that, I had an idea that those challenges between the two boys were a way for Naruto to somehow take my brother’s mind off things. Unfortunately, it did not seem to work, as Sasuke was now only seeing the blonde as an eternal loser. I had already asked my twin several times to be friendlier with the blonde, but it was a wasted effort. Worst than that, Sasuke was more and more obsessed with revenge, and, even as his twin sister, I could not find the words to calm him down, no matter how hard I had tried to tell him to change his mind.

When our period of study at the Academy came to an end, I had learnt to read, to write, to count, and all I needed to know as a future kunoichi of Konoha, whether it was about chakra or ninja techniques. I had good relationships with my classmates, too, even though you could not say we were “besties” for now. We were just getting along, and it was fine by me. I mainly spent my time playing with my comrades or studying for school.

And here already came the final exams.

The test was tomorrow, but all the students of the class had been starting to prepare themselves months ago. Many of us were excited to finally leave school and go on missions with a team of their own. I was really happy about the idea too, as being part of a team would mean new friendships, and I could not wait for that. Of course, I was still a little afraid, but I would become more confident after having done some missions. _But before that, there’s still the test to take and pass, so I should not get on my high horses. I’ll do my best._ In any case, all my classmates had become more serious than ever, because of this test, and had been training relentlessly for the D-day.

Well, except for one of them. But I was not very surprised.

“I’m at the end of my rope, Naruto. You failed the graduation test last time _and_ the time before that. Tomorrow, you’ve got another chance, and you’re messing up again!”

Said Naruto, tied up with ropes and sitting on the floor in front of the class, humped and turned his head in contempt, as if he did not care at all, and I could not help smiling. _This is just like you, Naruto._ However, when I looked at the other students around me, all I saw in their eyes were annoyance, anger and contempt, except maybe for Hinata who had love shining in her eyes and Sasuke, who did not actually care at all about the blonde knucklehead ninja.

In any way, Naruto being so disobedient and disdainful made our sensei, Iruka Umino, get really made. He gritted his teeth, and his whole face reddened. Well, it always came like this when the blonde was messing around. And this time was no exception: sooner this afternoon, he had disfigured every face of the Hokage Rock with paint. _Oh, Naruto, I already told you not to get on our teacher’s nerves._ I knew he wanted to be accepted by his comrades, but it was not like that he was going to make new friends. Well, he already had me, but I would have felt better knowing that he had other persons he could rely on. All the adults in Konoha were constantly looking down on him, even if they did not dare to tell him something when I was with him, and since the massacre, I was regaled with whispers and sidelong glances too. I understood better why Sasuke did not particularly want to go for a walk in the city when I would ask him.

I looked at Ino, who was sitting next to me, on my left; we were on the front row. She had a blonde ponytail and light blue eyes; her clothes were violet most of the time. Behind us were Kiba and Sakura, and behind them, at the back of the classroom, were Shikamaru and Sasuke. On my right were Chōji and Hinata; Shino and his insects were sitting not far behind them. But, coming back to Ino… She was quite sympathetic, even though she mainly talked with me to have news of my brother. Just like Sakura, actually, and there was no wonder why the two girls looked so close. It seemed however that they had argued about Sasuke’s love when they were younger, and now they barely speak to each other, except when it was about my brother and it would always end by the two girls yelling insults at each other. But for now, Ino seemed annoyed by Naruto’s childish behavior. She realized I was looking at her, so I smiled at her. She seemed surprised but smiled back, before looking down on Naruto.

“Fine! Because _you_ missed it, Naruto, everyone will review the Transformation Jutsu!”

The whole class let out a groan. I sighed.

Poor Naruto. He still had a long way to go.

We all came in front of the teacher’s desk. No need to say everyone was glaring at Naruto. Because of him, everybody had to do the exercise again. As for me, I felt bad for him, because I knew he had not wanted his comrades to be punished for what _he_ had done, but it was too late now to apologize _._ The boy really had a pure heart, though, but he was still growing up; in fact we all were. His teammates had to support him, not let him down or ignore him as they did most of the time. And the same thing applied for our sensei too: Iruka, with his brown spiky hair and his olive skin, should treat him better and try to understand him. _So why is he so harsh with him?_ Nobody had really tried to understand the blonde. I really hoped there would be a chance to change that, especially when we would be promoted.

For the moment, it was time to perform the technique. One next to the other, the students were all lined up and waiting to be called by our teacher. Iruka sensei looked at the list he was holding, and began to call the pupils one after the other. Not in an alphabetic order, though, which surprised me. I was between Naruto and my brother, so the atmosphere was heavy. Sasuke, his hands in the pockets of his white shorts, was not giving a care at all to the other students, while Naruto on the other hand was looking at them anxiously. _I wonder if he’s stressed because he doesn’t know how to master the technique._ So, I did the only thing I could do to cheer him up.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

He jumped. “Don’t worry,” I reassured him. “I’m sure you’re going to nail it all. I believe in you.”

His eyes twinkled as they had never done before. The smile he gave me was brighter than the sun itself.

“Thank you, Asuka. You don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that.”

“Hn. Don’t forget this is all your fault if we have to review the Transformation Jutsu. No matter what my little sister can say, you’ll just fail.”

“Sasuke!” I frowned at him. _You don’t need to be so unkind. I hope you’ll act friendlier if you pass the test are assigned to a team._ Where had the kind brother I had known gone? I knew very well that, for now, Naruto and Sasuke were far from being the best of friends, but I had hoped Sasuke would put his pride aside just for one day and would be a little nicer with the others, especially with Naruto, my closest friend for years.

“Say that again! I’m going to–”

“Both of you, stop please…” I cut off in a whisper, trying to keep them apart. Easier said than done; fortunately, I was between them. “Everyone is looking at us…”

Indeed, all our class, including Iruka, had now their attention drawn on us. I smiled politely, embarrassed, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Our sensei sighed, and then looked at his list, calling another name. This time, it was Sakura’s turn. She stepped forward to perform the Transformation Justsu. I did not worry for her: she had always had a good chakra control and great grades, so she would succeed without a doubt. She could be hot-tempered, sometimes, but maybe this was because she used to be bullied when she was younger, because of her large forehead. It was always easier to attack children who did not have a lot of confidence Fortunately, Ino had really helped her to change.

“Alright, Sakura here. Let’s do it. Transform!”

A cloud of smoke came up around her. When it disappeared, there were two Iruka in the classroom. Well, there was no need to be impressed, since it was a technique we had to master as future genin, but it was a good thing she had did the transformation right.

“Transformed into me. Good.”

“Yes! I did it! Yes!”

She turned around, looking at my dear twin brother.

“Sasuke, did you see that?” she asked joyfully.

The latest did not bother to answer to her and did not even look at her. I chuckled. _You’ll always have only eyes for Sasuke, won’t you, Sakura?_ It was like there was only Sasuke in the classroom. I was sure they would make a great couple, if my brother took his chance on her, but he did not seem interested for now. _I can’t really say I’m surprise. It’s just like Sasuke to have no interest in girls._ On the other hand, I had noticed Hinata was always glancing at Naruto, but she was so shy that I had never dared to speak to her, because it would have probably made her feel uneasy. And I do not think a lot of people had spoken to her either. Maybe she would find the courage to assert herself when she would graduate.

Sakura walked down the line, and then Iruka called my name.

“Next. Asuka Uchiha.”

I nodded and stepped forwards. When I glanced at Naruto, he had his thumb up and winked. I smiled at him, then took a deep breath and joined my fingers together. I could feel my chakra burning bright inside of me. _It’s so, so warm… The chakra is flowing throughout every part and every member of my body._ This was of course not the first time it happened, but it felt like no matter what happened, I was ready to face whatever difficulty I would encounter. I was glad to have this power inside of me, I felt protected. Like, really protected. One said that if you were strong enough, you could know what feelings someone’s chakra was conveying. I mean, depending on the person, your chakra could be for instance bright and warm, or dark and cold. Chakra was linked to people’s actions and emotions; there was no doubt about it. Iruka had even explained that to us, during one of our classes. _On top of that, there are different variations of chakra: Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fir, and Water. As an Uchiha, I sure have affinities with Fire._ It was very useful to know which element your chakra had affinities with: you knew which techniques you could perform and which ones you could not.

 _Right._ I shook my head, and concentrate. _Transformation Justsu. What are the hand seals already? Oh yes, this is it: Dog, Boar, and Ram. Here we go._

Pouf, smoke appeared all around me, and I felt my whole body changing. When the smoke disappeared, Iruka-sensei smiled at me and wrote something down on his list. I did not know if he was testing us and so giving us a mark, but anyway, I knew I had done the exercise right. Our teacher congratulated me and I transformed back. Here I was again, with my untied black hair – and two locks which were each one around my face –, my blue tee-shirt with short sleeves and the Uchiwa crest on the back; I was also wearing a skirt over a pair of white shorts, usual ninja sandals with small gaiters, which allowed my toes to be seen, and a pair of silver mitts. Finally, a fabric belt decorated with a ribbon circled my hips. My main colors were blue, black and white, like my brother, but a brighter and lighter shade of blue. I looked like him for sure, but I looked like my mother more when she was my age.

“Yeah, you did it Asuka! You’re the best!”

My cheeks dangerously reddened. I waved at Naruto to thank him and walked down the line.

After me, it was now Sasuke’s turn to perform the jutsu. No need to say he transformed successfully, and came next to me after he finished. We smiled at each other, but did not talk, since Iruka-sensei had forbidden us to chat not to disturb the person who was trying to transform. No time to wonder who it was: our teacher was already calling his name.

“Next. Naruto Uzumaki.”

I grinned, and used my hands as a megaphone. I could hear Ino and Shikamaru saying something to him, but it did not matter. I wanted to cheer him up because he needed it.

“Come on Naruto, you can do it! Impress them all!”

“You bet!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but I was too focused on Naruto to see it. Something was strange: I could feel in his voice that he was up to something, I knew him well, after all. The sparkle in his eyes, this smile of his… Something was on his mind, but I did not know what he had planned to do. I stroked my chin nervously. If I had followed my intuition, I would have said he was going to…

He put his hands together “Transform!”

I gasped, having all of a sudden a premonition. _Please don’t tell me that he’s about to…_

There was smoke; when it went down a little, Naruto had disappeared. Instead was an eighteen-year-old blonde girl with blue eyes, but the worst thing was she was entirely naked. Fortunately, smoke still covered some intimate parts of her anatomy. It was Naruto, in a feminine version. _That’s right, he had already show this technique to me…_ And as if this was not enough, the girl blew a kiss and winked at the same time. I was not quite sure if I felt like bursting into laughter or praying Iruka not to kill Naruto on the spot. _You really can’t help kidding, can you?_ And he was the boy who was supposed to be my best friend. At least, he did not take himself seriously. It was not bad to have a little fun to decompress before the test, tomorrow.

I had always been amazed by the results this technique had on men – well, apart from Sasuke – and how they reacted. Iruka became livid, his eyes looked as if they were going to pop out and he was totally dumbstruck. Blood sprang from his nose and he was knocked back after that. _Wow, Naruto really blew him away, this time._ This was the only way he had found to draw attention on him. He had not really friends at that moment, but I was sure it was only a matter of time before the entire village came to appreciate him; they just needed some time to see who Naruto really was. I really liked him. He was funny, honest, loyal, and I did not understand why everyone still despised him so much.

Iruka needed a few seconds to pull himself together after Naruto’s bad joke. The latest transformed back and burst into laughter, pointing at Iruka. Everybody was glaring at the blonde; Sasuke, who usually did not care about Naruto’s childish behavior, seemed disillusioned. I resisted the urge to laugh and giggled instead. What I found sad, though, was that Naruto’s smile did not seem to be real, like he had faked it. _Could it be possible?_ Maybe he himself did not find this joke that amusing. He had been doing tricks like that with his teacher for years, maybe the game did not sound funny anymore. _He and I really need to discuss seriously on how to make friends in another way than being the class’ fool_. _Wait a little more, Naruto. One day you’ll shine and they’ll see you for who you are._

“Gotcha! That’s my Sexy Jutsu!”

“Cut the stupid tricks! This is your last warning!” he shouted.

Naruto stayed speechless after this outburst.

Class was dismissed soon after. Everybody was now talking about tomorrow’s exam to finally graduate, and I could not help but feel a little anxious. Iruka had taken Naruto to the Hokage Rock in order to make him clean up the paint he had used to disfigure the different faces sooner this day, so I could not talk and play with him. Shikamaru was with Chōji, Sakura and Ino were probably together too, Shino had gone to the forest nearby to collect new insects with Kiba and Akamaru; Hinata had probably gone home to train for the test. In short, everybody was busy, so I decided to go back home with my brother. He wanted to revise one last time, and I agreed on the fact that it could not hurt. In fact, we did not know much about what was waiting for us. Normally, the test would take place in the morning, and the results would be indicated by the middle of the afternoon, at least it was what I had understood. _I don’t think it’ll be something very complicated. I’ll just have to relax and take it easy._ If I remembered the hand seals correctly and used my chakra in a proper way, that would be a piece of cake.

We both went back to the compound together and revised for tomorrow’s exam until it was time to have diner. Not so long after that, we went to bed. The last thing I thought of before falling asleep was Naruto. He probably had gone to Ichiraku tonight with our teacher, and I was happy for him that he was not alone. But for some reason, I was concerned about him. I hoped everything would go well, tomorrow.

***

The morning after, I was the first to wake up. I had not sleep very well, because I was nervous about my graduation – what if, for a reason or another, I did not pass? _I must stop worrying about that stupid test. I’m not at the top of our class, for nothing, neither is Sasuke. So come on, pull yourself together, Asuka! You still have a lot on your plate!_ I had no right to disappoint the persons who relied on me.

Sasuke got up a few moments after me. He was bright eyed and bushy tailed, and even smiled at me. We took our breakfast quite quickly; in no time, we were prepared for going to the Academy… and that terrible exam. On our way to school, Sasuke seemed to notice something was wrong with me. I did my best to reassure him, but he insisted, and I told him the truth. This was right after that he started laughing.

“I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“It’s just… I’m happy.” I stared at him in shock and his peals of laughter died away in his throat. “I was feeling like I was the only one of us who was stressed, you see. Knowing that you’re as afraid as I am for this test… is kind of a relief.”

 _Wow. Do I look that much self-confident? I know Uchihas are not good at showing their emotions, but I didn’t know it could go that far._ Yet, I was happy to know Sasuke worried about that exam. This is what normal people experience in this type of situation. I had always found my brother overconfident and full of assurance. But he was not really like that at all, actually. This was what he wanted to show to people around him. So, I decided to take it all easy, and we talked together until we finally arrived to the Academy. Everybody in the school was already speaking about the graduation exam and Sasuke’s fangirls club got excited as usual when he and I stepped into the classroom. Fortunately, Iruka-sensei entered right after us and when he clapped his hands, everybody stopped chatting and went to sit down. My seat was just between the one of my brother and the one of Shikamaru. The first looked so serious and the second so bored that I soon felt uneasy being stuck in the middle of them.

“We will now start the final exam,” Iruka informed us. “When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the Clone Jutsu.”

I bit nervously my lips when he said that. I only hoped I would be able to perform the technique correctly, otherwise this was the end. But it could not be that difficult, I had studied hard. _Naruto must seriously be freaking out right now, though; he never really liked exams, and he had always had a hard time performing this technique._ I glanced at him; indeed, he was going pale and all his colors had run dry. I wish I could have said a few word to him to cheer him up, but I could not talk to him right now. I had to wait until the results were displayed. Iruka-sensei began to call a name on the list, in alphabetic order, and a student stood up and left the class. I closed my eyes, my hands resting on my desk, while I tried to remember the hand seals needed to the jutsu. Shikamaru heavily sighed and Sasuke was staring into space, his chin lying on the back of his hands. None of them talked to me; Iruka had forbidden the candidates to do so.

The class was composed of thirty-seven students. With a name beginning by a U, I was near the bottom of the list, with my brother. A lot of students had already taken the test. I had no choice but grin and bear it. After what seemed an eternity to me, my name was finally called by Iruka. I immediately stood up and headed to the door.

“Good luck, but you don’t need it,” Sasuke whispered when I passed next to him.

“Thanks, big brother,” I replied in a smile. “Good luck to you too.”

But I knew he did not need it either.

Iruka-sensei led me to the room were the test was going happen. He being one of the examiners did not make me relax, and I gulped when he opened the door. It was actually a classroom like any other, apart from the fact that Mizuki-sensei – I think it was his name –, with his pale blue hair and his green jacket, was sitting behind a large desk. On that very same desk were about fifteen headbands. I gulped as Iruka walked towards the other chair that was on Mizuki’s left, and sat down. The brown-haired man asked me some personal information to check I was Asuka Uchiha and not another person, and then, things got serious.

“Alright, Asuka. As you were told earlier, we would like you to perform a Clone Jutsu. We’re ready when you are.” Mizuki politely said

I nodded and took a deep breath. I emptied my mind and focused on myself and the energy in my body. I could feel my chakra bubbling inside of me and it was as sweet as a cup of hot chocolate. It was flooding every muscle, every organ and every cell that I owned. _It looks like it’s a good start,_ I thought, noticing the blue energy that surrounded me. I had just to control this power and turn it into what I wanted it to be. _First is Ram, second is Snake and third is Tiger._ My fingers made hand seals without me completely realizing it, as if it was an automatism. That being done, smoke appeared around me and I found three replicas of myself standing by my side. A glimpse of surprise flashed into my eyes, straight away replaced by pride like I had never felt before. Sure, it was only basics, and I had studied for years at the Academy, but still, it could have been all wrong for a reason or another, who knows? Done, I was finally done with this test.

“This was perfect, Asuka. I wasn’t expecting less from one of my best students, and I’m sure your brother will perfectly succeed too.” Iruka-sensei congratulated me, as my three clones were disappearing.

I thanked him with a genuine smile, and left the Academy while my teacher was going back to the classroom; it was probably my big brother’s turn to take the exam, now. I was free for the morning. The results would be displayed later on the afternoon. All the grades we had had this year would count, and of course, the one we were given for this Clone Jutsu we had to perform. I was not worried anymore, now. I knew I would graduate and become a genin. I had worked so much to reach this level! I felt very satisfied with myself.

After lunch – Sasuke had prepared bentōs for the both of us –, a ceremony was hold in honor to the students who were promoted as genin. Children had come with their parents and their family, and they were all gathered in front of the Academy entrance. I was waiting excitedly, and I was sure Sasuke, next to me, could not wait either to receive his forehead protector. Everyone around us was chatting, but it all stopped when the Third Hokage appeared. He made a brief speech to congratulate everybody who had succeeded, and to talk about how he was proud of us all and how each of us incarnated the Will of Fire. My eyes twinkled at his words. I had always dream of having this determination to protect my village, and to feel it burning in my heart. After that, he began to call names in alphabetical order, for the genin to receive their gift. When it was my turn, I heard some people whisper about the Uchiha clan and its downfall, but I ignored it and came towards Iruka. He handed me a navy blue headband with a grin, and congratulated me. I grinned back at him before returning into the crowd; I met Sasuke who was coming from the opposite direction to receive his headband too, and we smile at each other. I soon really felt oppressed by all those people, so I get away from the crowd.

I tied my headband in the same way as Sakura did: not on my forehead, but directly on my hair, on the top of my head, mainly because I found it was more practical and nicer that way. 

Speaking of that, Sakura and the others had graduated too, and I felt happy for them. _I think all our school year graduated, actually, right?_ For now, the young students were happily talking with their families and friends about their recent graduation. But I did not care about that at all, because there was somebody I needed to see. Right now. _I need to talk to Naruto._ I knew people were rumoring and gossiping about him, so he really needed support, and I wanted to see if he had passed, like the rest of our year group. So I tried to find where he could be. He was not fond of crowds either, maybe he was in a quieter place.

I finally saw him sitting on a swing, with Mizuki-sensei standing next to him, but before I could join the two of them, somebody bumped into me; he apologies and went away, I looked at the swing but Naruto and Mizuki were not here anymore. _Where did they go?_

I jumped when someone’s hand lightly touched my shoulder and turned around to face my brother. He put his hands in his pockets and sighed.

“There you are. I wondered where you had gone.”

“I was just looking for Naruto, but he left before I could talk to him. You’re headband really suits you, by the way,” I stated, pointing at his forehead protector with a smile.

He smiled back with pride. “Thanks. So does yours. But you should know… Naruto didn’t graduate.”

I stared at him in shock. _What? He… He did not make it? But I thought…_ I had gotten away from the crowd before I could hear Naruto’s name be called. And I knew Sasuke was not the type to make jokes and tease people; he had not lied. So, it did mean that Naruto had failed? I looked around me, trying to see if I could spot him, but he was nowhere to be found. _What was I thinking? He must be in low spirits. I need to find him and see if he’s okay!_ Knots formed into my belly, and I bit my lips. I had really hoped he would pass. I knew he was not the best student at school, but… I had always believed in him, no matter what. I had really thought he would succeed. Could not something be done about that? Was he really going to be the only one to fail? I could not accept that. _If that’s so, I prefer to give my headband up and repeat the year. There’s no way I am a genin without Naruto. We’re a big family, and family means that nobody must be left behind!_

I had made up my mind: I was going to intercede with the Third Hokage on behalf of Naruto. He needed another chance. Maybe I would be told no, and that Naruto would not be promoted, but I had at least to try. I made a few steps toward the Academy entrance, where Iruka-sensei and the Hokage had been standing a few moments earlier, when they had give us our forehead protectors. However, my eyes widened when I realized they were not here anymore. They seemed to have disappeared too, just like the blonde. Maybe there was a link?

I really felt like I was cursed, now…

“Come on.” Sasuke took my hand. “There’s nothing you can do for now.”

I looked at Sasuke sadly. I knew he was right, but knowing that Naruto had not passed and that he was alone, without anybody to support him or cheer him up made me feel… sad and powerless. _Maybe Naruto needs some time alone._ If I could not see the Hokage today, I will try tomorrow, then. If he had a meeting with someone, trying to talk to him would not serve my cause at all. _I guess all I can do for the moment is wait._ I sighed, and turned towards my brother.

“Fine…” I whispered.

***

Only the moonlight was lightning up the road, tonight, as I was walking in the forest.

I had decided to go out after dinner. Well, you could not really call it that way. I had not eaten anything, because I worried too much about Naruto to swallow anything. _Is he alright?_ How could I be hungry when one of my classmates had failed his exam? Sasuke might thought it served him right, but I thought differently. I could not get what had happened sooner that day off my mind, and I needed to do something about it. So I told Sasuke I was going to do the washing-up; he agreed, and once I was sure he was in our bedroom, I left our house and the compound as silently as possible, with the full moon as the only witness. _I can’t act as if nothing had happened._ I just wanted to see if I could see Naruto somewhere, I would not be outside for long, and I hoped Sasuke would not notice I had gone out. _Fingers crossed_.

I do not know really why, but my footsteps had led me to the forest, as I was still looking for the blond. _Where are you, Naruto?_ It was not impossible for him to be somewhere in here, as the forest was a quiet place and a perfect hideout when you needed some time alone. _It reminds me the time when we used to watch Itachi throw the kunai at the targets… I wonder where he is now, and if he missed us just a little… How I wish none of this happened!_ Yeah, the forest was clearly a unique place. I had to be careful, or I could very well lose my way.

I was thinking I had maybe already gotten lost, when I heard someone breathe. A few moments later, I discovered a clearing, with Naruto in the middle of it, who was sitting. He looked like he had made an effort and was trying to catch his breath. My eyes twinkled at this sight. _Naruto! You’re here! I finally found you! You don’t know how much I was worried about you._ I made a step towards him, but before I could call his name, I saw another person coming too. The figure was all too familiar for me not to recognize it, especially as I saw the person it belonged to everyday at school: It was Iruka-sensei’s. _I wonder why he’s here…_ The best for now was to say hidden behind the three next to me. Nobody would see me, and I would probably learn what was the meaning of all this.

“It’s all over!”

Naruto watched at him with a smile, and ruffle his hair, before he started laughing nervously. Iruka silently stared at him, puzzled. That was at that moment I noticed the big green scroll Naruto was carrying on his back. What was he going to do with it?

“Got me already? Not bad. You’re quick, sensei. I only had time to learn one technique.”

 _So, he was training? All this time?_ Wow, if that was the case, his determination was far beyond any other. I was really impressed, to say the least.

“Listen, Iruka-sensei!” He extended his arms. “I’m going to show you this amazing jutsu and you’re going to let me graduate and everything will be okay! That’s the way it works, right? Anyone who learns jutsu from this scroll passes.”

Things were slowly adding up. Naruto had trained and learnt one jutsu from the scroll, so he was hoping to become a genin. _I’ve a bad feeling, though. Do things really work that way?_ And why was Iruka-sensei looked so taken aback, then?

“Huh? Where’d you get that idea?” he exclaimed.

“Mizuki-sensei told me about it, believe it!” the blonde proudly replied. “He told me where to find the scroll… And this place…”

 _Mizuki-sensei?_ Then, it probably meant everything was fine. He had probably just wanted to help Naruto pass the test. I had known him since I had enrolled the Academy, and I trusted him, I was sure there was no need to worry.

Well, that was until said Mizuki suddenly threw a shuriken out of nowhere. Iruka-sensei immediately pushed Naruto aside, before being pinned with kunai against the wall of a shack that was just behind them. My obsidian eyes widened. _Sensei! Naruto!_ I stepped out from my hideout and caught Naruto from behind; we both found ourselves lying on the ground, but it seemed I had somehow broken our fall. It still hurt in the end, but at least we were safe and sound for now… My whole body was shaking though, but it did not really matter. _I was just trying to find my friend and here I am, caught in the middle of a fight._ Because it was a fight. Mizuki-sensei had clearly intended to kill Naruto. I did not know why he had done that, but the memory of my parents lying dead on the floor had flashed in my mind. I was not going to let anything close to me die before my eyes. Not when I was still alive. _I won’t let that happen again, I could not bear it!_

“Asuka?!” Naruto looked at me with wide eyes, and so were Mizuki and Iruka. “What…? How…? When…? I mean, are you fine?” he asked in deep concern.

“It’s okay, Naruto,” I gently smiled. “I was worried so I decided to look for you, but I didn’t think…”

I did not finish my sentence, and looked up at Mizuki, who was standing on the branch of a tree. “I must say, I’m impressed you and Iruka found the place,” he smirked.

“So, that’s the way it is, huh? I should’ve known,” Iruka groaned in pain. Blood was staining his clothes here and there, at the places where the kunai had sunk into his skin.

 _Iruka-sensei!_ Naruto and I stood up straight away, in order to help our teacher, but with a single look, he made us understand we had to stay where we were; this was the better thing to do if we did not want Mizuki to kill us. _What are we going to do, now?_ Naruto looked at me, and he was as lost as I was. How had we gotten to this point? It could not be true. What did all that mean?

“Naruto, give me that scroll, now!” Mizuki brutally ordered, always on the branch.

“Wait a minute…” the blonde said, looking at Iruka then at Mizuki again. “What’s going on here?”

I shivered. _I don’t know, but I’m quite sure Mizuki is the bad person here._ He was obsessed with that scroll to the point that he had nearly killed Naruto and attacked our sensei. That could only mean he was not on our side.

“Naruto! Don’t let Mizuki get the scroll!” Iruka shouted, taking a kunai off his skin, while a trickle of blood was coming out of his mouth. “It contains forbidden jutsu that could put this village in grave danger. Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself. For his own power.”

“W–What?!” we both exclaimed at the same time. 

“Naruto, Iruka is just trying to scare you ’cause he doesn’t want you to have the scroll,” Mizuki stated in response.

We looked at Iruka again. “Stop lying, Mizuki. Don’t let him trick you, Naruto, Asuka!”

 _Iruka-sensei…_ He was right: my heart was saying to me that our teacher was telling us the truth. _Everything becomes clear._ So Mizuki had lied to Naruto, had probably turned the whole village against him if it was not already the case, and likely intended to kill the three of us when he would get the scroll. I gulped. _We can’t let him have this dangerous scroll; there must be something we can do!_ Naruto and I looked at each other, wondering what we were going to do to get out of this mess, when Mizuki-sensei suddenly sniggered and said to us:

“Oh, I’ll tell you who’s really lying.”

I frowned. _Who’s really lying? What could he possibly mean by that? And why should he be trusted after what he’ve just done?_

“No, Mizuki!” Iruka yelled. It seemed those two were aware of something we weren’t.

“They’ve been lying to you your whole life, Naruto. Since the decree twelve years ago.”

“What decree?” Naruto and I asked at the same time.

“Everyone knows except you. Iruka’s trying to hide it from you now. He’d do anything to shut me up.”

I gasped, and Naruto’s eyes went wide. “What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?”

“Don’t tell them! It’s forbidden!”

But it was already too late, unfortunately. Iruka-sensei was not in a position to stop Mizuki from talking, and the whole thing was way too serious to just let things go. Naruto did want to know that secret that had been kept from him, and, whether I wanted to know it or not, I could not escape, and if I put my hands on my ears, I would hear anyway; I only could watch in horror at Mizuki-sensei and what he was going to tell us.

“The decree is, no one can tell you the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside you!”

Naruto sweat dropped. “Huh?” I myself believed I had misunderstood, until Mizuki added: “The Fox Spirit that killed Iruka’s parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!”

Despite Iruka-sensei’s yells, Mizuki did not stop talking, but I had to say I was too shocked to hear what he told us next.

Naruto?

The Nine Tailed Fox Demon?!

My family had already talked to me about that day, of course. It was part of Konoha’s history, so even children learnt it at school. But I had never known Naruto had something to do with this, even from afar. And I had never expected the adults, and even less the Hokage, to forbid all the adults to talk about it, and to hide the truth to their children, to Konoha’s next generation of ninjas! All the young shinobis studying at the Academy… had been taught to avoid and to hate Naruto without even knowing why… just because of that? I could not believe it… Tears began to fill up my eyes, and I let them rolled down along my cheeks. _Does… Does it mean our lives had been built up on lies? If that’s so, is there anything that they hid from us?_ Of course, we did not have to believe Mizuki, maybe he was lying, as he had done for the scroll, but… Naruto’s being the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had the merit to explain where the villager’s hatred came from.

How much Naruto should feel betrayed! As he was crying in pain and shaking his head, wind came up around him. Nobody in the village had been taking care of him, because they could not make a difference between the demon itself and the person the demon was locked into. They had just thought they were one and the same, and that he would attack the village on day. _Did not they understand? Did not they understand the way they treated Naruto was the best thing to do to make that Fox appear again?_ All the memories of the citizen hating Naruto crossed my mind. _I’m… I’m so sorry, Naruto! If only I had known…!_ I started sobbing. Seeing we were not paying attention to our surrounding, Mizuki decided it was high time for him to attack, and threw a giant shuriken at us.

I could only hear Iruka-sensei telling us to get down, and suddenly, he was above us, with that big weapon sticking out of his back. We found ourselves having drops of blood on our cheeks when he coughed in pain. _Sensei! Sensei, no!!!_ Everyone was looking at him in shock. A single word came out from Naruto’s lips. “Why?”

“Because we’re the same. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn’t have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped. I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me… And know my name. My school wasn’t good enough to get the attention, so I did crazy things. And then I had to pay for it. It was hard.” Iruka’s tears began to fall on our cheek to mix with blood, but our teacher continued. “I know that’s how you feel, Naruto. You feel lonely and it hurts inside. And I could’ve been there for you more, like Asuka has. I let you down. I’m sorry. No one should have to suffer that much. No one should be alone like that.”

Naruto’s lip trembled, and I put my hands on my lips. _I had no idea… I had no idea you had suffered so much, sensei…!_ He had no parents, just like Naruto and I. I understood better why he had hated Naruto so much. He had somehow believed he was responsible for his parent’s death. The attack twelve years ago on Konoha had destroyed many lives. But it was not Naruto’s fault, he had suffered as much as anyone else had! You could not put the blame on a baby who was only a newborn at that time! He had not asked for the demon to destroy the village! He had not asked to have this demon inside of him. _People… People should at least understand that._

“Don’t make me laugh!” Mizuki interrupted us. “Iruka always hated you. He was orphaned because the Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents. And that beast is now inside you. He’d say anything to get the scroll from you.”

 _Then why Iruka would have saved Naruto if he hated him so much? He just confessed how he was like him when he was younger!_ What we had heard did not look like the speech of someone full of hatred and desire to take revenge. And I knew what I was talking about. _Sasuke_ could have this type of look, not Iruka-sensei. In all case, Naruto did not wait any longer and took his cue to leave; he grabbed my hand to make me follow him while I was still in shock. _Is… Is all this really happening? Mizuki’s attack? Iruka’s speech? The scroll, the Fox…?_ From afar, I could hear Iruka-sensei yelling our names.

We finally hid behind a large tree, and sat down. It was hard for me to stop crying. I still could not believe all the adults had hidden the truth from us. Had the Third Hokage really thought it was the best thing to do for the village and its inhabitants? Weren’t we old enough to know the truth?

“Asuka…” Naruto said with a sad voice.

He could not say anything else, because another Naruto and Iruka-sensei suddenly arrived. Soon, it turned out that said Iruka was Mizuki in disguised, but also that Naruto was the real Iruka-sensei who had transformed. They were talented; I had really believed this was the real Iruka that was there, though I knew that Naruto was false, since the real one was sitting next to me.

“You’re a fool! Why are you protecting that freak? He’s the one who wiped out your family.”

“I don’t care what you say, ’cause you’re not getting your hands on that scroll.”

Naruto gritted his teeth, the scroll still in his hands. I closed my eyes. _I don’t know what’s on that scroll, but they both seem determined to get it no matter what…_

“As if you could stop me. Don’t you get it? Naruto is just like me.”

“How’s that?”

“He wants the scroll for his own power, and his own vengeance. That’s how beasts are. He’ll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything,” Mizuki explained.

“You’re right…”

We were left speechless by those words. Naruto gasped and I felt my whole body shake.

“I guessed it was true all along. See, Iruka-sensei never really cared for me at all.”

 _Naruto…_ I put a hand on his shoulder. I myself was taken aback to be honest. When Iruka had made that speech earlier… I had truly believed he cared for Naruto and that he had forgiven him for his parents’ death… Had he just been lying this whole time? It was hard to believe our teacher could have engaged in double dealing. What did he think he was playing at?

“That is how beasts are. But that’s not who Naruto is. He’s nothing like that. Naruto’s one of a kind. Works hard. Puts his whole heart into it. Sure he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him… But his suffering only makes him stronger. That’s what separates him from being a beast. So you’re wrong. He’s nothing like the Nine-Tailed Fox. He’s Naruto Uzumaki, of the village hidden in the leaves.”

We both cried like we had never cried at those words. _Naruto, Iruka finally understood! He finally understood you were a good person!_ This was why I had always dreamed to hear from the people in the village: to acknowledge Naruto’s existence and to treat him like a normal person. Iruka-sensei really cared about Naruto. I smiled; finally, someone was acknowledging Naruto’s existence! We had both been waiting for this moment for a long time. Mizuki was not going to fool us any longer.

From that moment on, we decided it was high time to protect our teacher, after all we had heard. When Mizuki was going to kill Iruka with the last big shuriken he carried on his back, I left our hideout and rushed to the latter in order to protect him with my body, and so I believed I was going to die soon. However, Naruto had stepped in between Iruka-sensei and I and Mizuki, and sent the latter flying backwards. He then skidded to a stop, standing the scroll everyone wanted up beside him. My teacher and I looked at him in shock. _Naruto…!_

“If you ever lay a hand on my sensei or Asuka… I’ll kill you!”

When Mizuki finally went back onto the offensive, Naruto used for the first time the new technique he had learnt: he crossed his two fingers over his other two fingers, and made the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Thousands of clones of the blonde surrounded us, in the trees and on the ground. _I can’t believe my eyes. Did he… Did he really do that?_ I thought, in awe. It was not just illusions like those we were learning at school, it was far beyond that. Even Sasuke and I, being the best students of our class, could not have done that. _That’s… amazing…_

It did not take them long to beat Mizuki up. On the end, Naruto was standing above him, while laughing at the same time. _Wow, you really got carried away, this time._ I turned towards our teacher, who was not in a very good shape: “You okay, Iruka-sensei?” I and Naruto giggled when we realized we had said the same sentence at the same time.

He breathed. “Yeah… What about you, Asuka?” he asked in concern.

“I’m fine.” He nodded in relief, then he another took a breath. “Naruto, come here a minute. I’ve got something I want to give you.”

He asked the latter to close his eyes. While Naruto was surprised, he did not argued and did what he had been told to do. At first, I did not understand what was the meaning of all this, but then Iruka took his headband off his head, and I immediately knew what was going to happen. I gasped in joy and smiled brightly; Iruka put his forefinger on his lips and winked at me. I nodded happily, I did not want to spoil Naruto’s gift! _I can’t believe it!_ He then removed and took off Naruto’s goggles and tied the forehead protector around Naruto’s head. He then allowed his student to open his eyes and congratulated him.

“Congratulations. You graduate. And to celebrate, I have a surprise. We’re going out for ramen tonight!”

Naruto’s lips twitched as if he was going to cry. “Iruka-sensei!”

He tried to hug our teacher, but fell back down to the ground, with Naruto, and the three of us burst out laughing as the daylight was filtering through the three; the night had already come to an end, and we had not even noticed it. _I’m so happy for you, Naruto! You’re a true ninja, now!_ All the three of us made a group hug, before we happily left the forest, Iruka carrying Mizuki on his shoulder. _I hoped Sasuke did not notice I had gone out._ I sighed. With all what had just happened on this crazy night, my brother scolding at me was the least of my worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... did you like it?
> 
> No need to tell me about Asuka's character. I already know I have to change some things about her and make her stronger and all, because that's how Uchiha are, but I must say I am afraid that she'll end up like Sasuke if I make her look like a 'true Uchiha'. I don't want to have to deal with two Sasuke, just one is enough, so this is why she's more sensible than him, clearly, and more optimistic, but... I was told it was too much, so I'll try to correct that.
> 
> Except that, I hope you liked what you read, and I'll try to improve for the next chapter. The chapter to come will be Asuka and Naruto's meeting with Konohamaru (I follow the canon... for now). Thanks for having read!


	4. My name is Konohamaru!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Mizuki's defeat and Naruto's graduation, the blonde and Asuka meet Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, for the first time. The encounter between the two genin and the young boy is going to be full of surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks!
> 
> Sorry, I'm late. I posted this chapter a while ago on fanfiction.net, and I noticed I had not done it there, so that mistake is fixed!  
> What can I say? Not that much. I'm following the canon for now, of course. Changes will come in due time. I hope you'll like this chapter!

## Chapter Two – My name is Konohamaru!

I did not tell my brother what had happened on that night. It was a secret between Naruto, Iruka-sensei and I. I did not even know how he would react, and nobody was supposed to know about Naruto’s true identity. Sasuke had not woken up yet when I had come back home, so I had quickly done the washing-up, because I had left before doing it, and I did not want my twin to be suspicious about anything. Then I had put my pajamas on and I had slipped into my bed, as if nothing had happened. As soon as my head had gently touched the pillow, I had fallen asleep, only to wake up hours later, around midday. I hurried to get dress and meet my brother in the living-room.

“I was starting to get worried,” he said when I greeted him. “It’s not like you to get up so late.”

I yawned. I had not slept from the night at all, with what had occurred with Naruto and our teacher. I was still very sleepy. _If you knew the truth, big brother… Sorry I can’t tell you about it for now._

“I know, but I didn’t sleep very well,” I explained.

“Let me guess. It is because of Naruto?”

I stretched. “Amongst other things. I also had a nightmare about _that night_ …”

Sasuke’s body tensed and I sank into a chair. I had hoped I would sleep well, but the memories of what had happened during the massacre had flashed in my mind. Usually, it would happen when I had been stressed or if I have lived an emotional situation, so there was no need to wonder why I had dreamed of that with the recent events. Sometimes, Sasuke and I were so connected that we had our nightmares at the same time.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had not wanted to darken the mood, but we could not decide just not to talk about it, as my brother wanted to. I had already talked several times to him about trying to look happier or just lighten up, but it had not really changed anything. I always had that feeling Sasuke was holding some grudge about me for not wanting to kill Itachi, even if he might not be aware of it or refused to recognize it. _But it’s like that. There’s no way I can kill Itachi with my own hands. I would just be a murderer in the end._ I was not the type to think you fix an unfairness by a bigger unfairness, even if killing people was far beyond just an unfairness. Sasuke, on the other hand… He did not bother with all that. He was just living for the day he could finally kill our brother, but I did not really know what he was expecting after that. Was not it better to let the jōnin or the ANBU forces take care of that? _Plus, my big brother is too young to defeat Itachi right now._ I shook my head. If only things had gone differently…

“… Well,” Sasuke said, “Now that you’re awake, you want to go to train with me?”

“Can’t we skip the training session for today?” I pleaded him. “It’s Sunday, and we had just been promoted as genin… We should relax and enjoy.”

“Suits yourself. But I’m not going to stay here and let Itach– _that man_ become stronger than us.”

He began to step out of the room.

“So,” I said while looking down, “You still had not changed your mind about giving up on your revenge?”

What had not I said here! I saw my brother clenched his fists and then turn around to face me. After that, he slammed his hands on the table between us, and I believed I was going to fall of my chair. He had gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows. He had always been like that when Itachi’s name was mentioned or when he was suggested to forget the idea of taking revenge on him. It never lasted long though, and as soon as he saw how he was behaving, he took a deep breath and apologized.

“Sorry, sis. I know you’ve suffered just as much as I have. I did not mean to scare you. It’s just… I want to destroy Itachi after all he had done to us, and no one will prevent me to kill him.”

 _Big brother…_ If only I knew how to alleviate his sorrow, maybe I could make him see what he was missing by dwelling on the past. After the massacre, each night, we have been crying together for months. Having Naruto by my side had helped me overcoming the pain I had felt from losing all my family, but Sasuke never really had had somebody to help him. Of course, I had been there to support him as much as I could, but apart from me, nobody had really paid attention to him, and the behavior of our classmates had not been really helpful either. Sasuke’s fanclub had never really understood him. So Sasuke had somehow felt lonely and still was probably feeling that way. According to him, nobody in the village had ever known what we had been through. I had resisted the urge to tell him Naruto did, but then I had thought better of it: Naruto never had had parents, so it was not the same thing; at least it was what Sasuke would have snapped back if I had ever told him that.

“Hey,” he said when he saw my face. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine, okay?” With that, he poked my forehead.

My eyes widened and filled with stars. It was one of those rare times he would touch my forehead this way. Before slaughtering our clan, Itachi used to do it to the both of us, when we asked him to train us. When he had left, Sasuke had not done it to me for a long time, because it reminded him too much of our eldest brother, but then, when I really was in low spirits or something of the kind, he would poke my forehead to cheer me up, as I kind of like this gesture. I felt like Itachi was with us, somewhere, and we were still the family we used to be before all of this happened. So, Sasuke doing that meant a lot, at least for me. _Maybe he’s right, on the end. I should not worry too much about him. He won’t do anything stupid; he’s way too rational for that._ So I smiled at him, and say I would meet him at the training ground after I prepared bentōs. I had not eaten much since lunch, yesterday afternoon, and my stomach was growling. That being done, I trained all the afternoon with my brother at throwing shuriken and using jutsu.

When the day finally came to an end, I let Sasuke go back home alone and meet Iruka-sensei and Naruto at Ichiraku’s noodle shop, as it had been planned last night. I had never felt so fine for a long time, and we talked for a good part of the night. Naruto still had his goggles, as he did not want his forehead protector to be scratched. It did not really surprise me, as Naruto was quite clumsy and far from being the most careful person on earth. When I returned to my bedroom, Sasuke was not sleeping yet, so we talked a little before going to bed, but I did not have the strength to tell him about Naruto’s graduation yet. It was maybe better for him to learn it later, as they were not the best of friends yet. I hoped their relationship would change soon.

***

The morning after, all the freshly promoted genin were expected at the plateau overhanging the Hokage Rock. A photo of each young ninja had to be taken for our Ninja Registration Form. All of us had to wear our headbands for this occasion, and have to come at a precise time slot. I was one of the first to pass, with my brother, in the morning, while some other would have to come this afternoon. Rumors had it that Naruto had painted his face and his hands in white with red symbols on it. The only thing he had agreed to tell to the photograph and all the people who questioned him about his look was that it was a work of art and he had thought of how he was going to look for three hours. Well, it was just another way for him to stand out. I was not sure the Hokage would like the idea, though. In any case, the photographer was just doing his job and by the end of the day he would have taken a picture of everybody. Since the orientation ceremony was tomorrow, class had been dismissed for the day, so we were free until tomorrow.

On the afternoon, after we had lunched at our compound, Sasuke and I had decided to go for a walk in the village, since we did not have anything to do. My brother wanted to see the new weapons they had in store, and I was not against the idea of doing some shopping either. While Sasuke was trying to find what he was looking for in one of those stores, I had been to the jeweler in order to be given back a bracelet I had asked them to repair a few days ago. I was just quietly walking out the store when I heard someone call my name. It made me jumped.

“Hey, Asuka!”

I looked around. “Naruto!” I said with a smile when I spotted him. “What’s up? Did the Hokage accept your photo?”

Naruto had really looked strange, this morning. The photograph had decided to talk about it to the Third, and so the blonde had been ordered to meet him at his office after noon. _Naruto, you really are somebody, you know that?_ So many things had happened to him in so little time!

“Of course he did, believe it! I just used my secret technique! By the way, isn’t it the scarf I gave you the first time we met? You still have it?”

“Sure I have!” I grinned. “You know I put that scarf every winter or when it’s cold.”

That was not the first time Naruto was seeing me with his scarf, since I have always kept it and used it when I was too cold. My mother had been able to fix it, and I had always treasured this scarf afterwards. _All that reminds me of the people I love is precious to me._ The wind was blowing quite hard today, so when I had come back home earlier for lunch, I had taken the scarf with me when Sasuke and I had gone for a walk.

“And it really fits you!” he stated, flashing a smile. “So, you were at the jewelry?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I had something to get back.”

“Huh? What was it?” he tilted.

“This.”

I showed him my wrist. Around him was a golden chain bracelet, with my first name and my last name in hiragana and katakana engraved on the first side, and my birth date engraved in kanji on the other side. It read:

うちは アスカ

1989年7月24日

A sunray reflected on the chain bracelet and made it shine for a second. As Sasuke and I were twins, our clan had decided to make special jewels for the both of us. We had those since our birth, but the clasp of my chain bracelet had broken some days ago, so I had had to have it fixed. Otherwise, he had never left my wrist, and Sasuke was always wearing his too. It was a reminder of when we were younger, and how nothing would be able to separate us. It was true I had never talked of this jewel to Naruto. He had probably already seen it at my wrist, but he had never asked questions about it, now that I came to think of it.

“It’s a gift I had from my clan. Sasuke has the same. Mine broke and so they repaired it.”

While the blonde was looking at it, amazed, I noticed something off not so far from where we were standing.

“Naruto?” He looked up in surprise and I pointed at the suspect spot in the street. “Why is somebody hiding himself behind a brown sheet?”

There was a fence, at some miles away from us, and a young person was holding a light brown sheet, seemingly trying to blend into the background, but you could see his hands holding the sheet and his dark brown spiky hair stick out from said sheet. On top of that, the stripes of the fence were vertical and the ones of the sheet were horizontal. _What is that supposed to mean?_ I wondered, blinking. _Is that person spying on us or something?_ Well, if that was the case, maybe we had to tell this person we had seen her, so she could stop using this disguise, now.

Naruto gritted his teeth and sweat dropped. His eyes twitched. “Don’t tell me he had come all the way here?!” He then turned around and pointed at the sheet. “I know that you’re following me, so just give it up, believe it!”

Since the person was not willing to comply, Naruto’s eyes twitched once more. “That’s so obvious it’s pathetic.”

_I can’t say I don’t agree here. This person should learn to disguise at least a little better…_

There was silent for a few seconds, before we heard some snigger. Then, the person lowered the sheet enough to let his face be seen.

“You saw through my disguise, huh? The rumors about you are true, you’re good!”

He then dropped the sheet, and came towards us. It was actually an eight-year-old boy, with black eyes and messy dark brown hair tied up into a ponytail, or maybe it was the steel helmet he was wearing that gave this impression. With that, he was wearing a yellow tee-shirt with the symbol of Konoha on it, and a blue scarf was around his neck. He also was wearing grey pants and the usual blue ninja sandals.

“All right! I’ll be your apprentice, and you’ll be my trainer!” he said, pointing his forefinger at Naruto. “And afterward, you got to show me that Sexy Jutsu thing you did on Grandpa Hokage!”

I stepped back. _Wow, that’s a lot of information, all of a sudden._

“This is some kind of joke, isn’t it? Besides, I’m with my best friend, right now!” the blonde replied.

“Hum, Naruto, could you explain me what’s going on?”

He let out a cry of surprise and nervously rubbed the back of his head. Then he asked the boy to wait for him here and he began to explain everything to me.

Apparently, this boy – whose name Naruto did not know – was the Third Hokage’s grandson, and was studying with a teacher called Ebisu. Naruto was discussing with the Hokage about his photo from this morning; he had just used the Sexy Jutsu Technique to make him accept his photo when the boy had tried to attack the Hokage by surprise… and had miserably failed and fallen on the floor. He seemed to believe that nobody would dare to touch him, but Naruto had knocked him on the head, and ever since, he had been following Naruto in the streets of Konoha, trying to disguise in order not to be seen. And now he was here, and the jinchūriki did not know how to get rid of him once and for all.

 _Naruto… It looks like you’ve been messing up again._ I did not know the Hokage had a grandson – well, he was sure old enough to have one – and I did not think he would appreciate the bad influence the blonde had on him. _What’s more, Naruto mentioned he had a sensei who was watching over him. He should be looking for the boy, right now. Should not we bring him back to his teacher? He must be really worried, now!_ But I guess it was up to Naruto to make the final choice. I just did not want him to get in trouble.

“I need a new trainer!” the boy begged us when we came back to him. “Please, boss!”

Naruto, who was going to refuse, and I, stared at each other in disbelief. “Boss?” the blonde repeated hesitantly.

“Yeah!” the brown-haired boy nodded. “You’re the boss! Boss, boss, boss!”

I gazed at him with wide eyes, faced with so much determination and adulation. _Wow, he’s not joking around. I don’t know what happened when you were with the Hokage, Naruto, but you definitely have a fan, here._ And I did not think this young admirer was going to leave just like that. If one day we had been told Naruto would be that much admired by someone so young in the village, it might have been hard for me to believe it. _First me, then Iruka-sensei, now this boy… Looks like your friend list is getting bigger every day, Naruto!_ I was really happy for him, he was beginning to create bounds with the other inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf Village and maybe one day, everyone would finally acknowledge him. It was only a matter of time. And I knew he had enough determination for anything that he would have to face.

***

“Listen, you wanna be a master ninja? Then believe it, you gotta learn to control your cattra!”

It was still early in the afternoon. Naruto had decided to train the young boy who had followed us, and had asked me – or should I say _begged_ – to come with him, so I had told Sasuke I was going for a walk with Naruto and would come back to the house later on. I did not really know why the blonde needed my help so much, but giving a hand was not a bad idea. I was afraid of the tricks he might learn to the Hokage’s grandson, and I did not want him to get in big troubles. There were not as much people as I had expected, on the streets; we were quietly walking and Naruto was beginning to give the eight-year-old boy his first lessons.

“Your cattra…?” the young child repeated dubiously.

“I said your cattra,” Naruto nodded.

I sighed. _Naruto, that’s a great idea to teach techniques to your new fan, but… you should just start by spelling the words correctly._ We had been taught about chakra for years now. Had he really forgotten how to say it properly? _He might be acting, but it looks too natural to be the case._ Maybe it was a good thing I came along, after all.

It looked like Naruto’s apprentice did not need my help to see something was strange, though.

“Boss, I… think you’re talking about chakra,” he said, looking at him.

Naruto suddenly jumped and immediately tried to make his mistake look like it was not one by lying, in order to save face: “Don’t question me! Real ninjas say cattra!”

“Really? I didn’t know that! That’s cool!” the brown haired boy said excitedly.

 _And here I thought he didn’t need my help…_ If this boy started to believe all he was told, then he needed somebody to tell him to be careful about what he learnt. I shook my head. I could not let him believe what Naruto – who was now wiping his forehead – had just said as if there was no problem. On top of that, this boy looked old enough go to the Academy, so he must have learnt there was only one way to say chakra and it was… well, chakra. On the other hand, he seemed to have a hard time with disguising, so… he probably still needed some time to learn all what he had to learn. _Eight years old…_ I shivered. This was how old I was going to be when my parents had been killed by Itachi.

Anyway, I did not want to think about that. “Don’t listen to him. He’s teasing you,” I said, stepping ahead of them. I then turned around to face them. “Real ninjas said chakra, like anyone else.”

“What? I knew it!” the boy exclaimed pointing angrily at Naruto.

Well, he would have believed what Naruto had said to him if I had not said anything. The latter scratched the back of his head, and I sighed. _Sorry Naruto, I had to tell him. You’re supposed to be his trainer; you can’t tell him what’s coming into your mind just like that._ His blue eyes begged for my help and I understood he wanted me to change the subject, which I did. We were here to learn, weren’t we?

“Anyway, what do you know about chakra?”

The boy closed his eyes and left his right forefinger. “Chakra is the element of life energy that is used to perform jutsu!”

Naruto’s eyes widened in surprise and I clasped my hands. It was a good start; he should really be paying attention in class.

That was what I thought, until he took out a scroll and began to read: “The ninja arts combine physical energy from each cell in the body with mystical energy which is intensified through training and experience. When these two chakra mix, special hand signs allow the ninja to focus this combined energy for advanced jutsu.”

“Know-it-all! You were just reading that whole thing!” Naruto exclaimed. _Well, you must admit it works well,_ I thought.

Then, the two of them burst out laughing. Deep down inside, I was starting to like this boy.

***

It was the middle of the afternoon when we finally ended up in that very same forest where our confrontation with Mizuki had happened.

Naruto had been trying to learn his Sexy Jutsu technique to the young boy but the results had not been up to the efforts the two boys had made until there. To begin with, Naruto had asked his apprentice to transform into a twenty-year-old woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. Unfortunately, he had actually transformed into a fatter version of said woman, and she had not appreciated it. She would nearly have beaten Naruto up if I had not asked her to calm down. After that, they had tried to do some “research on female beauty”, according to their own words; they had been kicked out of the book store a few seconds after having entered. And after that, icing on the cake, both Naruto and the brown-haired boy had tried to transform into women and gone at the onsen in order to spy on the girls while they were getting changed. The latter had immediately recognized Naruto and kicked him off and so the boys had been forced to leave.

And now we were here. The boy and I were fine; however Naruto had his whole faced puffed up and he had a shiner, to the point where he could hardly open his eyes. He was groaning in pain, and I winced. _They really got you, this time…_ Maybe Naruto should not have agreed to show his Sexy Jutsu technique to his young apprentice. Maybe the latter was not ready to master it yet.

“Why do they only whack at me?” the blonde complained.

_I’m sorry, Naruto. Maybe I should have done something so they would not have beaten you up like that…_

“I’m sorry,” the eight-year-old boy said in turn, and we stared at him in surprise. “It’s cause I’m the grandson of the Hokage.”

There was a silence. I smiled and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Come on, now was not the time to be in low spirits, we had to keep our heads up. The apprentice needed to have more confidence in himself.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I think you trainer has prepared you enough so you’re ready to learn the Sexy Jutsu. You’re just need practice, am I wrong, Naruto?”

The latter smiled and gave a thumb up. “I couldn’t have put it better! Now the trick is to get all the curves in the right places. You ready?”

“I’m ready, Boss!” he shouted back, on fire.

And so, he transformed, and under Naruto’s supervision, tried to improve this new technique. His first shot was not really good: he had transformed into a fat woman with spiky brown hair, big orange lips and pink underwear, and it was not attractive at all. Naruto ordered him to try again, and to make the woman skinnier. But then again, when the boy tried once more, the result was not more attractive, and Naruto told his apprentice to make the woman curvier. At the third shot, it was still far from perfect; Naruto groaned in frustration and gave other advice for the Hokage’s grandson to follow, while I was cheering on the latter. _It reminds me of how Naruto used to train to master this jutsu when he was younger…_ I had a feeling that this technique would turn out to be very useful in the future. I could not help but wonder if the Hokage would be pleased with his grandson learning what was considered as a devious jutsu. Naruto had told me the technique had worked on him, so it was clearly a way for the brown haired boy to beat his grandfather. I just hoped he would not abuse of this jutsu when he would have mastered it, though.

It took some hours for the young child to obtain the results he had wished for: a thin and curvaceous woman, with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, with big breasts and voluptuous lips. It was just breathtaking how the technique had evolved under Naruto’s tutelage. In all honesty, it would be hard for men to resist the Hokage’s grandson new technique. _You improved you transformation a lot!_ To celebrate this, Naruto bought the three of us some drinks at a dispenser nearby: he decided to take canned soup; I chose an orange juice, and the boy decided to have grenadine. We then sat down on a tree trunk and started to drink. The boy sat down on the middle of the three, I sat down on his left and Naruto on his right.

“So, what’s up with this obsession you’ve got with your grandfather?” the blonde finally asked.

_That’s right. He somehow seems to hold a grudge against the Third, but I can’t know why… You would think he’s proud of having such a reputation, but I think there’s more going on here._

“My grandfather named me Konohamaru, after the ancient name of the village. So it should be easy to remember. But no one calls me that name, not one person in the whole village. That’s ‘cause when they look at me, they don’t see me. All they see is the ‘honorable grandson of the Third Hokage’. No one knows who I am. I can’t stand it anymore. It’s like I’m invisible, like I don’t exist. I hate that. That’s the reason I’ve got to become Hokage now so people know who I am!”

Naruto looked down thoughtfully. _I see… So this is what it is all about… I didn’t know. You just have the same dream as Naruto, then. Both of you want to be recognized for what truly you are, and not for what people see you as._ I smiled. It was no surprise why the two boys were getting along so well. They had more in common than they thought.

“You know, Konohamaru,” I said, looking at him in the eyes. “Everybody has to deal with fame. Whether it is since your birth or comes later, and whether you want it or not… It’s like this. You’re known as the Hokage’s grandson, but everyone in this village owns his own title he is known as. So don’t take it too personally.”

Konohamaru blinked at me in surprise, and I looked down sadly. Naruto was known to be the Nine-Tailed Fox; I was known to be a survivor of the massacre of the prestigious Uchiha clan, like my twin brother. Obviously, I was not going to tell this to Konohamaru, because it was too personal, but every person I could think of had something she was known for. Sometimes, the villagers did not see how it hurt people to see them for something they were not. They considered Konohamaru as the Hokage’s grandson, and it was their way to show him respect, but it just had the opposite effect in the end. _If they can’t even remember his name, it’s normal he is upset._ It was still better than being considered as a brat like Naruto, or be to be pitied like me and Sasuke.

“Get real! You think people are gonna accept a squirt like you?”

We both jumped and stared at Naruto. “A kid can’t just turn into a Hokage after a day or two,” he explained.

“What?” Konohamaru stood up defiantly, cut to the quick.

_He’s quite right. It’s not because you want to be Hokage that you’ll necessarily become one. Especially as…_

“It’s not that simple! You keep saying ‘Hokage’! ‘Hokage’! To really be a Hokage, you know what you’ll have to do?”

_… Naruto and Konohamaru have the same dream._

“You’re gonna have to defeat me in battle!”

As Naruto was widely smirking saying that, Konoharamu was facing him with strong determination and a bit of awe for the new rival he had just made. Things were going to be interesting.

***

We were still sitting on the same tree trunk when somebody shouted as us: “I found you!”

We all jumped and turned around to see a man about twenty-eight standing at some distance from us, on a tree branch, with his left hand on his hip. He was wearing dark clothes: his roll-neck sweater as well as his pants were navy blue colored. You could not see his eyes for they were hidden behind the sunglasses on his nose. A large bandana was covering his head so you could not see his hair either. I blinked. _What’s wrong with him? He really scared me!_ He looked to be a ninja, and it did not took me long to have an idea about who we was. Hadn’t Naruto mentioned that Konohamaru has a sensei who was watching over him?

Well, I could not see this eyes but I could guess he was glaring at Naruto through his sunglasses. And Naruto seemed to have felt it too, for he was growling under his breath and his fists were shaking in anger. I looked up at Konohamaru’s teacher again, with my hands on my chest, and I bit my lips when I saw he was staring at me too. _Don’t tell me that’s the whole “Nine-Tailed Demon Fox” thing and the “cursed Uchiha clan” again?_ Could not they stop with that?

He jumped down to the ground across from the three of us, then said to Konohamaru it was time to go home. _So, it is indeed his teacher…_

“No way!” his student replied, shaking his head. “I’m learning how to beat my grandfather so I can get the title Hokage! Now don’t get in my way!”

His teacher walked towards him, smirking at the same time, and I stepped back. “Hokage is more than just a fighter. He must know virtue, honor, wisdom, and he must be skilled at a thousand jutsu. You don’t even know one jutsu.”

Konohamaru growled at those words, and made the ram hand sign. _You’re really going to use it, Konohamaru, huh?_ This man had been wrong when he had believed his pupil did not master at least one technique. The number of techniques did not suffice to make a good Hokage. There was much more than just that behind this title.

Chakra covered Konohamaru, and we all looked at him in surprise; his sensei even stopped. Smoke soon engulfed him, and then disappeared a little. In place of Konohamaru was now a young and cute naked woman, who had her hand behind her head and winked at the sensei. Konohamaru teacher’s jaw dropped as he let out a cry of surprise; a vein popped on his head; I must say we were all somehow taken aback, this time. If someone still doubted it, well Konohamaru had mastered the Sexy Jutsu once and for all. It was not sufficient enough to defeat his sensei though. But I would never have believed Konohamaru to make such progress. Maybe one day he would be able to defeat his grandfather, surpass the ninjas of his generation and make his dream come true… Well, he still had to fight Naruto for that one.

The teacher then grabbed the end of Konohamaru’s blue scarf and tried to pull him. However, the Hokage’s grandson was not willing to budge. He was trying to escape his sensei, moving his arms as if he was swimming.

“Honorable Grandson, stop this! Right now! Naruto’s turning you into a delinquent! Only my special training can put you on the fast track to becoming the Hokage!”

“Just leave me alone!” Konohamaru yelled back.

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “Let him go! You’re going to torn his scarf away!”

I went to help him, but before I can give the boy a hand, Naruto used his Shadow Clone Jutsu. With that, the man finally stopped pulling on his student’s scarf, and the latter looked at all the clones in awe. We were all surrounded by many Naruto’s clones. I gasped. _Wow. I’ve already seen that before but… I think this technique will never stop impressing me_. I understood better why the techniques the scroll contained had been forbidden to use, and why Mizuki-sensei wanted the scroll so much. It could have put the entire village in big danger for sure.

Konohamaru’s sensei was not a man to give up that easily, though. He pushed up his glasses with a smirk when he saw all the clones and took up the challenge. Thinking it was just about fighting some clones, he put himself into a defensive stance, ready for the battle to begin, boasting on the exceptional jōnin he was, and how this confrontation was going to be a piece of cake. I could hear Konohamaru cheering on Naruto, and I cheered on him too. It did not seem to bother Konohamaru’s teacher, who was so confident about his victory.

He just had not thought of what came next.

Instead of attacking him head-on, the blonde used his Sexy Jutsu technique on his clones; said clones transformed into blue-eyed women with golden pigtails and whiskers, that is to say a feminine version of Naruto. Then all the clones rushed to the stunned Jōnin and began to hug him and touch him, putting their arms around his neck and his legs. They sent the adult ninja flying into the air. He landed on the ground at some distance from us, twitching. Naruto transformed back just after, shouting that he had finally gotten the ninja with Harem Jutsu. _You’ve combined the Shadow Clone Technique and the Sexy Jutsu… That was quite… unpredictable, but it did work!_ I think I would never have been able to create such a technique.

Konohamaru’s sensei left us alone soon after his defeat. The day was coming to an end, as the sun was slowing setting down, giving the sky beautiful orange colors. The Hokage’s grandson was still amazed and excited by Naruto’s new technique, and could not stop talking about it.

“Oh man! I couldn’t even beat that snobby trainer of mine! I wanna be a Hokage so bad, but I keep messing up! Why can’t I do it?!”

“You really think it’s that easy?” the blonde asked him, as if the boy had understood nothing.

Konohamaru stared at him in surprise.

“To be a Hokage, you have to be the greatest of all ninjas. You have to prove yourself so everyone believes in you. Look at me: I’ve been through a lot already. I’ve been ignored, pushed away, and treated like I have the plague or something; Asuka was my only true friend,” he stated, giving me a meaningful glance, and my heart melted at those words, though I tried not to show it. “And after all that, I found another person who believes in me. To find that other person, I had to get knocked down a lot. So you better make sure that you’re ready,” he stated, with his hands on his hips.

 _Naruto…_ I looked at him sadly. He really knew what he was talking about, wasn’t he? _I have always believed in you, and I always will._

“For what?” Konohamaru asked, before Naruto turned his back at him.

I softly put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder as I saw some tears rolling down his cheeks. Then I turned to Konohamaru.

“Learning to be a ninja means a lot of sweat and a lot of tears.”

The eight-year-old boy did not say anything. Suddenly, the wind blew through the trees, gently ruffling everyone’s hair. I closed my eyes for a moment. _It’s so pleasurable…_ Then I opened them again; Naruto and I smiled at each other; then the blonde looked over his shoulder at Konohamaru and just grinned.

“By the way, there is no easy way to becoming Hokage. Believe it.”

At those words, Konohamaru looked at the blonde in awe before he frowned and turned his back to us in turn. He looked like he was very determined. _I think he will be a serious rival for you, Naruto._

“Ha! Who do you think you are anyway? Giving me a big lecture like that! That’s it, I’m not going to be your apprentice anymore,” he declared, before turning back to us again. “From now on, we’re rivals.”

He grinned and I rolled my eyes. _Don’t you think it was already the case before, Konohamaru? You and Naruto were bound to be rivals from the moment you got the same dream. The one of becoming Hokage._ They just did not know it until today, that is all.

Naruto smiled, a hand still on his hip. “Well, I can’t be your trainer anyway. ‘Cause tomorrow Asuka and I start our advanced ninja studies! But I accept your challenge and someday we’ll fight for the title of Lord Hokage. So let’s both look forward to that day, Konohamaru.”

The latter’s eyes widened in shock, and Naruto and I took our cue to leave. The blonde left his right hand in a farewell gesture. _Good luck, Konohamaru_ , I thought _. I look forward to the day you and Naruto will fight for the title too. Never give up no matter what, and you’ll become a shooting star. But don’t push yourself too much, alright?_ The boy straightened, determination flashing in his eyes, and saluted us. _Wow, what an afternoon_ , I thought as the wind was blowing once again.

It was just the beginning of our path to become true ninjas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Did you like it?
> 
> I know Asuka is not perfect, but you have to know that it is my fist fiction in English, so I need time to write and develop my character. She'll be more... active, let's say, in the next chapters to come.  
> Did you like the bracelet stuff? I think the idea is not that bad, knowing that Asuka and Sasuke are twins.
> 
> So, that's all. Can't say when the next update will be, so stay tuned! Don't hesitate to leave kudos and comments; it means the world to me. See you!


	5. Chapter Three – Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is finally the formation of the squads. Asuka and Naruto are thrilled and cannot wait to know in which teams they will be! Also, Sakura is hard into Sasuke, but she could be told some home truth that will not really please her. The world is not ready for the brand new Team Seven!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannnddd, I'm back!  
> It has been a long time, huh? Chapter Three is out!
> 
> I don't know what to say, I'm pretty much following canon here, except that Sakura is not on the team, but I had already warned you about that. Sakura not being part of the squad doesn't mean we'll not talk about her anymore; to tell the truth, I have something for her in mind, but I'm not too sure about it yet, so we'll see.
> 
> Without further ado, on the story!

## Chapter Three – Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes?

The birds were chirping when I woke up, the morning after. Maybe the smell of the breakfast Sasuke was cooking had something to do with it, too. He smiled at me when I stepped in the kitchen. I greeted him sleepily while he was putting hot chocolate, bread, butter and fruit juice on the table.

“So, today’s finally the big day,” he said while drinking his coffee. He had always hated sweet things, even for breakfast.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s the Orientation Ceremony, and our first day as true ninjas. I wonder what is going to happen, now that we graduated.”

“I don’t care, as long as we’re together,” Sasuke shrugged.

He smiled at me and I smiled back. There were a lot of questions I was asking to myself, such as how things were going to work from now on, or what missions would I have to accomplish, and if I would be allowed to stay with my brother. I did not even know what I should expect, today. I only hoped everything would go fine, and that I would not be too lost; that was the most important thing for me. I was quite excited about this ceremony. It was sure going to be a long and intense day. I could not wait for it. _My kunoichi career starts now! I wish our parents were here to see it… And Itachi, too…_ _Watch it, everyone! I’m going to make you all of you proud of me!_

We were the first to enter the classroom. Iruka-sensei had told us to be here for ten o’clock, but it was only nine, so Sasuke took a seat by the window and I sat down next to him. We passed time talking about the ceremony and what type of missions we were going to do now that we were ninja; what else could we have talk about? Shino arrived not so long after us, with Hinata and some others genin I did not know well. At half past nine, it was Kiba’s turn to show up. Naruto stepped into the room a few minutes after him, and happily waved at me when he saw me.

“Good morning, Asuka!”

I waved back while Sasuke was looking at him in surprise, which made Naruto frown in discontentment.

“He passed?!” my twin whispered in my ear.

“You did not notice the forehead protector on his head?” I whispered back. “If he’s here it’s indeed because he succeeded; it’s a long story, though.”

Sasuke just rolled his eyes in annoyance and let his chin rest on the back of his hands, before he looked by the window what was happening outside. It seemed he had just decided to give Naruto the cold shoulder and ignore him, which was not very surprising from him. I sighed, still waving back at the blonde. _Those two should better not be placed in the same team_. Chaos would ensue if that should happen.

“You’re ready to become a true ninja?” Naruto asked with a grin.

“I should be the one asking you this question. After all, you still have a lot to learn if you’re hoping to surpass all the Hokage.”

“Hey, just wait and see! One day, I will be better than you, believe it!”

“We’ll see that.”

Sasuke did not talk anymore. Naruto told me he had met Konohamaru on his way to school, a few minutes ago, and that the boy was really decided to fight him, which was no surprise for me, with everything I had learned about him yesterday.

The classroom filled with more and more genin as minutes were passing by. Chōji and a bunch of students arrived at a quarter to ten, closely followed by Shikamaru, who arched a skeptical eyebrow at Naruto when he spotted the blonde talking to me.

“Huh? What are you doing here, Naruto? This is not for drop outs; you can’t be here if you haven’t graduated.”

Naruto turned toward him and though I could not see it, his smile was probably one of the brightest he had ever given to anyone. “How yeah, you see this? Do you see this? Open your eyes, Shikamaru, it’s a graduation headband. We’re going to be training together! How do you like that?”

The blonde grinned and I giggled when I saw surprised flash in Shikamaru’s eyes; he did not say anything and just put his hand on his left hip, staring at Naruto as if he was the weirdest person he had ever seen, and maybe it was the case. _What’s this face, Shikamaru? Come on, didn’t you use to play with Naruto when we were younger?_ I noticed he was one of the few who had not put their headbands on their forehead: his was tied up around his left arm.

“Let me put to it to you this way. I look great in this head gear, like it was made for me. Believe it!” the blonde added as he was playing with said headband.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Hinata who was looking at Naruto and slightly blushing. _There’s at least one person who looks happy that Naruto passed. She really seems to care about him a lot._ Hinata had always been shy, and I wondered what could go on her mind right now. Before I could figure it out, though, noisy footsteps were heard in the corridor. It looked like two persons were running to the classroom. Sasuke and I looked at each other knowingly.

The two most important members of his fan club were about to come in.

And indeed, the white door of the classroom suddenly swung open, with Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka both standing in the doorframe. Sakura had long pink hair – rumor had it that Sasuke liked long hair, but I knew better: as he was my twin brother, I knew he did not care at all about the length of hair. Sakura was wearing a red kimono with a white circle, which I supposed to be the symbol of her clan. Under that kimono she was wearing black shorts, and she had also blue ninja sandals, like all of us. She had tied up her headband on her hair, just like me, and not on her forehead, like Naruto or many other ninjas. She was a hot-tempered girl, from what I knew, and when you got on her nerves… you should better be prepared.

Just next to her was Ino, best friend and best foe since they’ve known they shared the same love for Sasuke. They had become love rivals. Ino was wearing a similar outfit to Sakura, except hers was purple and she had white bandages around her legs and her waist. Her headband was around her waist too. She had tied up her hair into a ponytail; her hair was paler than Naruto’s golden hair, though. She had also the same armguards as Sasuke, and I did not if it was a real coincidence or if she was only trying to catch the latter’s attention. In any case, she was trying to catch her breath, and Sakura too. _They raced from their home to the Academy?_ They had never done it before, and I did not see why they needed to do so. They were sweating and out of breath now, and everybody was staring at them. But they did not seem to care anyway.

“I’m first!” they both exclaimed at the same time, extending their arms.

 _Does the winner of their race is supposed to win something?_ I wondered, as Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked by the window. The two girls were breathing hard, which was no surprise, since they had run all the way to school.

“I won again, Sakura,” Ino sneered, looking at her.

“Give it up! I had to look back to see you. My toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead. Have you always been that delusional?”

I sighed. Why there they arguing about something so futile? It was not as if the fate of the world had something to do with this race; the loser was not going to die. Sasuke was not even looking at them. Was it so important for the two girls to win it? Maybe it was their way to show each other than they were a better ninja than the other, but for now, they were just making a spectacle of themselves.

I was about to say something to Naruto, when I saw his attention had been caught by the two girls, just like almost everybody else in the class, except my brother. _What is he thinking of?_ I thought, blinking. When I focused on the two girls in turn, Ino had her hands on her hips, glaring at Sakura, who was herself looking in our direction, smiling. _Ah, I think she found where Sasuke was._ There would not have been many reasons why she was looking at where we were, end even less reasons to explain why she was grinning. I turned towards my brother, who was not looking by the window anymore. _Be careful, big brother, fan girls coming_. As if he had read my mind, he just closed his eyes, annoyed.

Naruto stood up and waved at her when she arrived. “Hi Sakura, what’s up?”

She pushed him so hard he fell to the ground. My eyes widened in shock and I stood up in turn. _Naruto!_ I run to his side and extended my hand, asking if he was all right. He rubbed the back of his head and told me that he was fine. We both smiled at each other and I helped him to get back on his feet. _I’m glad you’re okay._ Then I sadly looked at Sakura who was greeting Sasuke. I was very disappointed about her attitude; Naruto could have been severely injured, and it was as if she did not care at all. Could not she understand there was not only Sasuke, in life? Could not she act nicer about people around her? I shook my head; I could not stand this type of behavior.

Things turned bad when Sakura and Ino started to argue to know who was going to sit next to Naruto, grabbing the pinkie’s arm.

“I walked into the classroom before you did. Everybody saw it!” the blonde said in anger.

 _Huh, you arrived at the same time. There was no really winner. And I’m quite sure most of the class did not see it and just did not give a care about that silly race of yours._ Seriously? They were still fighting for that? All that only to get Sasuke’s attention?

You would have thought it was going to calm down, but it was without considering other fan girls of my brother who decided they had their say and joined Sakura and Ino in their fight. It was about who would have the right to sit next Sasuke. The latter just turned his head and shut in eyes in annoyance, while the girls were shouting and yelling. _Hm, hello there, does anyone bother to care about Naruto, who might have been severely injured?_ I sighed in disbelief as the girls were still arguing. I certainly did not have expected things to go that way on my first genin day. The seat next to Sasuke was mine, anyway, so why all this fuss?

While the girls were still arguing, Naruto, more furious than ever, jumped on Sasuke’s desk before I could do anything to stop him, and crouch down to be at my brother’s level and look at him in the eyes. Well, _glaring_ would have been a better world here. I gasped. _Naruto! What do you think you’re doing, glaring at my twin like that? The girls are already angry, don’t make things worse!_ Unfortunately, the girls had already noticed Naruto being on Sasuke’s desk and started yelling at him. They did not care about Naruto being pushed hard by Sakura but they did care about him when he was close to Sasuke. _Okay…_ Everything was fine, then.

Sasuke opened his eyes and frowned when he saw Naruto in front of him. Sakura yelled at the blonde and ordered him not to glare at Sasuke. Naruto then looked at her hesitantly. I bit my lips. Sakura was right. Naruto did not want to face a bunch of angry fan girls. I even doubted his Shadow Clone Technique would stand a chance against them. _I have a bad feeling. If I don’t do something, this going to end badly._ You would think Naruto would have thought better before challenging Sasuke with all these angry faces looking at him, but he did not jump out of the desk and focused on my twin again. When I saw how their eyes were flashing, I decided to walk to Naruto before it was too late and something terrible happened.

Little did I know that it was already too late.

Before I could reach my friend, one of our classmates, with spiky brown hair tied in the same way has Iruka-sensei, accidentally nudged at Naruto, making the blonde move forwards.

“Sorry, did I bump you?” he asked, glancing back.

There was a dead silence, and everybody in the classroom suddenly stopped moving and yelling. My dark eyes widened in shock at the scene that was happening right in front of me, and I could only put a hand on my mouth. Sakura and Ino said a few words, taken aback, and so was everyone in the class. Nobody had imagined that such a thing would happen.

…

………

………………………

Naruto and Sasuke’s lips had _locked_!

 _Oh my_. In only a few minutes, a lot of things had happened. I had _definitely not_ imagined the start of my career to begin like this. There had been this race between Sakura and Ino; now there was this kiss between Naruto and Sasuke. What else was going to happen, after that? _Wow, even if it was an accident, it’s still…_ I did not know how to describe this: it had been so unexpected! I would not have believed that the mouths of the two students who hated each other so much would touch one day, especially not in such a way and under such circumstances.

No need to say Sakura looked like an atomic bomb had been dropped on her, and Ino was not any different. I watched as Naruto and Sasuke stopped kissing and turn their head in opposite directions in disgust, each of them sending spluttering to the ground with their hands on their throats. I would not been have surprised at all if they had thrown up. _This is the moment when all the girls’ dream of stealing Sasuke’s first kiss vanishes_ , I though, still in complete and utter shock. It sure was funny, to an extent, but I was too much in disbelief to laugh, and I would have been the only one, anyway. The boys had their mouth wide open, and the girls were going to kill Naruto on the spot. I could feel how mad they were. And so could Naruto.

“Danger,” he stated before he looked at them.

“Naruto, you are so dead,” Sakura said, very pissed off.

“Hey now, it was an accident!” Naruto swore, putting his hands up in the air in an attempt to prove his sincerity and calm them down.

Too bad it did not worked.

“You’re finished!” the young girl shouted, cracking her knuckles.

“Hold on!”

I looked at the fan girls in shock. What was that supposed to mean? _Don’t tell me they’re going to beat him up just for all this?_ It had all happened so fast! How could they be so angry at Naruto just for a kiss? There were more important things than that in life! It was not what true ninja were supposed to do! Naruto gulped in fear as he saw all the mad girls coming for him, and tried to find a way out. He soon reached the edge of the desk, ready to fall. The fan girls were going to make mincemeat of him if they laid a finger on him. And I just could not accept that. So I did what my heart was telling me: as Sakura was ready to punch Naruto hard on the face, I stood in front of her and instantly grabbed her wrist.

The pink girl’s eyes went wide. Anger, shock and incredulity flashed into her eyes, as her hand was still in the air and clenched into a fist. I could see on her face she was surprised by how quickly I had countered her. I myself had not really realized it yet. And it was not what mattered for now. I was careful not to hurt Sakura in any way while firmly holding her hand, but she had gone way too far this time, and I could not accept this. I could not tolerate the way she had treated Naruto from the moment she had entered this classroom, with Ino. She might have seriously hurt him, when she had pushed him out of her way while he was waving at her. And it was just because she wanted to be next to Sasuke. Did she realize what she had done? Did she realize her behavior was not the one that was expected from a ninja in training? How could she ever call herself like that and despise so much people around her? She was not a child anymore. She had to behave!

“As Naruto said, it was just an unfortunate accident, Sakura. There’s no need to be so angry for that,” I smiled softly.

My brother, who had recovered from that disastrous kiss, smirked, and I could feel Naruto looking at me in surprise. All the fan girls stared at me in awe, and stepped back, except a few of them, including Ino. Seeing that she would not win by sheer weight, she just let her arm down and I let go of her wrist. She turned away in disdain, gritting her teeth, and I blinked. _Wow, that was fast. I did not even think before acting, it’s as if… my body had moved on its own._ It was really surprising; I would never have believed I could move like this, but Sakura needed to be reminded of the fact she could not do anything she wanted just because of Sasuke. I had always seated next to my brother, since we had enrolled the Academy, and it was not going to change. I didn’t think he would have permitted it anyway.

Naruto sighed in relief. “Thanks Asuka. These girls were crazy…”

“Don’t mention it,” I replied, with a soft smile. I think we should sit down, now. It’s going to time for the ceremony to start.”

He nodded, and we walked back to our desk.

Girls started gossiping, and some of them were casting side glances at me, but I did not really care about that. I was too busy talking to Naruto.

Some minutes later, Iruka entered the classroom, and everyone went silent. He was holding a sheet of paper that he put behind his back, before walking in front of the class with a gentle smile on his lips. I looked at him in excitement. _So, this is for real, our shinobi career really starts today?_ I smiled in turn. This was going to be so exciting! Our teacher began to speak, giving us what looked like to be a welcome speech in our new ninja career.

“As of today, you’re all ninja. To get here you faced difficult trials and hardships. But that’s nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you’re only genin. First-level ninja. All the genin will be grouped in a three men squad. Each squad will be lead by a jōnin, an elite ninja.”

I gasped in surprise. _So, this is how things are going to work, then?_ Naruto blinked and Sasuke straightened up on his seat. _Three people, huh? I can’t wait to see who my teammates are going to be!_ I got along with everybody in our class, so there was not really somebody I was afraid to be put in a team with. I guessed it was not up to us to decide, anyway. It would have been too easy, otherwise. Everybody would have teamed up with the persons he liked the most… and this was not how the ninja system worked.

“Well, someone’s gonna be in Sasuke’s group. I wonder who,” Ino said for herself, looking meaningfully at Sakura, who could not see her.

And yet, the latter turned and glared at her. I sweat dropped. _It’s like they’re connected or something. How is it even possible?_ I shook my head and tried to focus on our teacher again. I hoped Ino and Sakura would not be too much disappointed if they were not in Sasuke’s team. And even if they were, I wondered if they really knew how things would happen. I mean, we were going to be ninja and Sasuke had only revenge as his goal, so did they really think they would stand a chance with him? He was not interested in love, so why these two girls were so determined to be with him? This was really weird and unbelievable after all. From now on, we were ninja. We were not little girls anymore, and we had to do our best.

I did not need to look at Sasuke to know what he was thinking: a team with three genin would slow him down. I was sure this was what was getting on his mind right now. I then glanced at Naruto. His right elbow was on the table and his head was resting on his hand. _I wonder what he’s thinking about… Is it about Sakura?_ She had nearly beaten him up, a bit earlier, but… he did not seem to be angry at her, so… maybe he wanted her to be on his team. _And I’m sure he obviously don’t want Sasuke to be his teammate_ , I thought, chuckling. If only those two could have gotten along, things would have been easier. They were the persons I liked most, and yet they were always at each other’s throats. Well, the blame was mostly on Naruto, as he always had this need to challenge my brother, while the latter did not care about the blond at all. I was also wondering in which team I would be, and it made me nervous. _I can’t wait!_

“We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that’s how we set them up,” Iruka-sensei explained to us.

 _I see. So it means people who have some weakness in a certain field will be with persons who haven’t. The main goal is to counterbalance everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, then? That’s a good idea._ I just knew I had the best marks at school, with my brother, but otherwise I did not really know about the other’s marks, so I totally was in the dark about who I would be teamed up with. Well, it was not going to last long, because Iruka showed us the list.

“I will now announce the squads.”

The suspense was interminable. Of course, Iruka began with the first team, that was made up of classmates I did not really know well. It was the case with all the other squads. He was reading the names on the list, and each time I believed it was going to be my turn, but… no. And it was very difficult to be patient. Sasuke had always his chin resting on the back on his hand, and he looked more serious than ever. Naruto, on the other hand, had let his head lie on his arms, directly on the desk, and it looked like he was sleeping.

I don’t know how many minutes passed, before Iruka suddenly announced:

“Squad Seven: Naruto Uzumaki…”

The blonde suddenly perked up when he heard his name.

“… Asuka Uchiha…”

My eyes widened before I joyfully smiled, and I high fived with Naruto.

“… and Sasuke Uchiha.”

 _W–What?_ I looked at Iruka-sensei in surprise, while Naruto did not seemed pleased at all with this new piece of information, and Sakura was looking at us – well, at Sasuke, more precisely – as if it was the end of the world and that she was going to die tomorrow. And it was all because she was not going to be in Sasuke’s squad… She had already been placed in another team than ours. Naruto’s eyes and mouth opened in shock, and he looked down, mumbling something about the fact that he was doomed. I smiled to him, in order to cheer him up. _Come on, Naruto, it won’t be so difficult, I promise you!_ Yet, he was still in low spirits. I then turned towards Sasuke and raised my hand so we could high five too, but he seemed just as pissed off as Naruto, and did not even looked at me. _Okay… I knew you two didn’t get along well, but wow, you really weren’t joking around._ They should better find a way to work together, or we would never been able to be a team and accomplish missions. They had to put their pride aside.

Hinata looked at Naruto in disappointment. She knew him being in our team meant that she would not be with him, and I thought this why what she would had wanted. But, as the proverb says: “you can’t always get what you want.” I understood her feelings, though. It was sure way funnier to be with people you liked, and well… Teams had clearly not been built up about relationships between the students, because otherwise, there was no way Naruto and my twin would have been in the same team.

After our squad, Iruka-sensei continued calling the different teams. It appeared Hinata, Kiba and Shino were going to be in Team Eight. Kiba smirked when he heard his name and Shino just moved his glasses up. I knew Kiba used to attack head-on with his dog, while Shino preferred to attack from afar. I knew that because there had been some times at school when we had had to talk a little about our clans. The only one who had not had to do that were Naruto, since he did not really know about his family, and my brother and I, since our clan had been slaughtered. So it had been decided we would not participate. If only Itachi had not done that… I would sure have been proud to talk about my family.

I heard Ino grunting behind me, and she clenched her fists in anger. Sakura was probably in the same state of mind. I sweat dropped. _Come on, they’re not angry at me just because I am in the same team as my brother?_ I was just his _twin_ , not his love interest or another fangirl ready to hurt other just because they came too close from him!

“How did you get in his group?!” she shouted at me, irritated.

I turned around to face her, but before I could answer, Shikamaru talked first. He looked at her in disbelief, while his head was resting on his left hand, and that his right arm was laying on his desk. He had spiky dark black hair tied up in a short ponytail, and the symbol of his clan on his grey jacket, a symbol that looked like the peace symbol, actually. His tee-shirt had partly been made with nets; they were often used for ninja clothes. He frowned.

“I don’t get it. What do you see in a guy like that? He’s not so special,” he said, closing his eyes.

“Don’t try to understand, Shikamaru. It’s just one of their ‘fan girl moments’. You can’t even recognize them anymore when they’re like that.”

The latter opened his eyes and smirked at me. Ino was boiling inside, but however tried to do something for appearances’ sake. “Both of you are so full of yourselves. Jealousy is a terrible thing. I’d hate to be on your squad, Shikamaru,” she said, before she closed her eyes and let her chin rest on the back of her hand.

Shikamaru arched a brow and looked at me as if I knew what she could have possibly meant by that, but I just shrugged and turned around. I did not specially want to be involved in whatever problem was between them; Naruto and Sasuke being in my team was enough. I had to admit I did not really understand what she meant by jealousy anyway. Me, jealous? There was nothing I envied Sasuke for. He was my big brother, and we had the best marks of our class; what else could I have asked for? I was fine with not having a fan boy club at my feet, if that was what Ino was implying when she had talked about jealousy. It was not because Shikamaru did not find my bother that much interesting that I would hold a grudge against him. If everyone liked each other, then there would have been no wars in the ninja world, and things might have been better. But we were all different, and to me, it was a good thing.

“Now, Squad Ten!” Iruka announced. “Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara…”

Behind me, I heard Ino gasp in shock and Shikamaru tease her: “Ha. Did you say something about hating to be on my squad?”

She glared at him and grunted. _It looks like the boot is on the other foot…_ I thought, giggling. Ino who did not want to find herself with Shikamaru actually had been put in Team Eight with the latter. Nobody could say it was not comical, even a bit. And there still had more surprises to come.

“… and Chōji Akimichi.”

Said Chōji just plunged in hand in his packet of crisps and continued to eat, as he had been doing since the beginning of the Orientation. Ino took her head in her hands and shook it in despair; Chōji quickly glared at her. Ino seemed to be upset about how the team had been set up, however, the ones that should have really been had displeased with it were Shikamaru and Chōji, for me. Ino was lucky they did not hold a grudge against her for the way she behaved with them. This was not with this attitude she would become a true ninja.

It seemed Ino was not the only one who was annoyed with the team formation, though.

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto stood up and shouted after Iruka said it was all for the squads. “Why do a great ninja like me has to be in a same group with a slug like Sasuke?” he asked, pointing at my twin brother.

I sighed. _Naruto, can’t you try a little to get along with him? We’re a team, now._

“Hm,” Iruka-sensei said, closing his eyes. “Sasuke has the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you have the worst scores!” he frowned, putting his hands on his hips.

All the class began to laugh.

Our teacher continued. “To have it balanced groups, we put the best students with the worst students.”

Naruto groaned in frustration and clenched his fists in anger. _Don’t complain, Naruto. You asked for it, so you’re reaping what you sowed._

“Just get sure you don’t get in my way, _loser_ ,” Sasuke said, without even looking at Naruto.

My eyes widened, before I pinched the bridge of my nose. _Oh, I have a feeling this is never going to end. Who got the idea to put those two together…?_

Naruto was clenching his fists so hard that his skin was turning red. He gritted his teeth and turned towards Sasuke, completely mad. “Hey! What did you say?!”

“Hard of hearing?”

The class started to laugh again. _Naruto, what did you get yourself into…?_ I thought, annoyed. Sasuke was not better than him either. I frowned at my twin but he did not look at me. I sighed, before grabbing Naruto’s wrist, which made him jump and he stared at me in surprise.

“Please Naruto, sit down. Everybody’s looking at you, right now…”

 _And I think you don’t want that, right?_ He looked around us to see that, indeed, all the students were laughing and mocking him. He mumbled and finally sat down in annoyance; his body was still shaking in anger and frustration, though. Things were going to be tougher than I had thought it will be. Whoever our instructor would be, he would have his work cut out.

“Hum hum,” Iruka coughed. After lunch, you’ll meet your new jōnin teachers. Until then, class dismissed!”

***

Sasuke had told me to follow him, and had rushed towards the door of the classroom, with me hot on his trail. We had left the Academy and had gone for a little walk in the village. When I had asked him why he had been so hurry to run off from the classroom, he had told me he just wanted to be alone with me, and did not want crazy fan girls to follow him. I could clearly understand it: it was probably exhausting to have girls such as Ino or Sakura always fighting just to get your attention. _I wish Naruto could have come with us, though._ Sasuke had not wanted him to come along, so I was a bit disappointed, but it was probably better that way, they would have just gotten on each other’s nerves, anyway. And the three of us were in the same team, so we will see each other soon, without a doubt.

By eleven o’clock, we had found a quiet place to eat. It was an old workshop carpenters once used, but nobody had been working in it for a long time. Some workmen were supposed to renovate the place and make it fit to live in, but they had not begun yet, and it had become the perfect place to relax, to play with others… and also the perfect place to eat. So we had entered by the open window and had decided to have a lunch here. My brother had took out from his bag the two rice balls and the drinks he had prepared; we had sat down on the wooden floor and we had had begun to eat together. Our conversation had soon started to revolve around Naruto; I still felt bad for him about having left him alone, but my brother persisted on the fact that he was just a loser.

And yet, when I left to go to the toilets that were downstairs, I found Sasuke tied up, with ropes around his wrists and his ankles, and a gag on his mouth when I came back to the room. The drinks and the rice ball that were on the window ledge earlier were now on the ground, and the wooden transom was closed. I gasped and quickly helped my brother to get rid of his ties. We both stood up after that.

“Are you fine?! Who did that to you?”

“It’s okay, yeah,” he said, rubbing his wrists. “Naruto, however… I would not say the same for him.”

I looked at him, puzzled. What did he mean by that? What was wrong with Naruto? I knew those two could not stand each other. Still, I had hoped they would try to get along and would stop picking a quarrel with each other, now that they were in the same team…

“We need to find this idiot. _Now_ ,” he said, opening the transom and ready to leave by the window.

“Wait, what? Why? What happened?”

“You’ll know when we find Naruto. Didn’t you want to see him?”

I looked down and slightly blushed. Yeah, that was right: I thought it would have been nice to let him eat with us. But because of my brother’s pride that he had not been able to put aside, the blond was alone for lunch. _I can’t say I don’t want to see him, but… I know my brother too well. I’m sure he doesn’t want to see Naruto just for pleasure. What is he up to?_ And Sasuke refused to tell me who had attacked him. _I guess if I want to know the truth, then I had no choice but come along with Sasuke_ , I thought, before I took a deep breath _._ Plus, I would make sure he did not do anything stupid once he will find the young boy.

***

_The blowing wind ruffled Sakura’s pink hair as it was carrying some leaves. Sitting on a grey bench, the girl closed her brown lunchbox in disappointment. She still could not believe she was not in Sasuke’s team._

_She had really hoped she would be with him, actually. There were twenty-seven students in her school year: the teachers were actually very careful about having a number you can divide by three, since ninja squads were always made of three students and one supervisor. When she had learnt that, Sakura had crossed her fingers, hoping she would be in the same team as the boy of her dreams, but her hopes had vanished when Iruka-sensei had said she would be in Team Six, with two other boys. Well, it was not that bad: in a sense, six was just before seven, right? But still, it hurt her. She had average marks, so since teams had to be balanced, she had hoped that she would be with Sasuke; would not it have been balanced, this way?_

_She put her lunchbox next to her, wincing. Actually, to be in the same team as Sasuke would have meant to be in the same as Naruto, and she was not sure she could have borne that. That boy was such a nuisance! He was always trying to play for laughs; he was selfish and did not care about anybody, so she was not losing anything by not being in his team. Still, Sasuke did not deserve to be with such an idiot. He was probably happy to be with his little sister – Sakura was still shocked of the fact the girl had caught her wrist so quickly – but Naruto should never have been with him. She definitely did not like this blond._

_She sighed. Said blonde had suggested her to have lunch together, even if they were not in the same team, in order to get to know each other. She had obviously refused, though. She had shaken her own teammates off for a good reason, and it was not to have lunch with Naruto. It was to have lunch with_ Sasuke _. This way, she hoped she would get closer to him; then Sasuke would tell Iruka-sensei how much he liked her and how much he wanted Sakura to be in his team instead of that stupid Naruto. After all, he was an Uchiha, right? The teachers sure would listen to him. He was coming from a prestigious clan. But for that to happen, she needed to find Sasuke, so she had tried to call his name, but he had been nowhere to be seen. And now she had told Naruto where to get off, she was all alone on this bench, waiting for Sasuke to come. There was not much time left before going back to the classroom; she really had to find him now, or it would be too late._

_The wind blew once more and she sighed, before she took her head in her hands. Did she have a chance with Sasuke even if she had such a big wide forehead? She raised her head in surprise when she felt someone looking at her. She gasped when she recognized who this person was, and her eyes widened in surprise. Could it be possible?_

Sasuke _was just in front on her._

_He was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed on his chest. And he was smiling at her. For real._

Sasuke… He’s looking right at me! That look in his eyes… _She blushed and imagined, during a few seconds, how Sasuke would tell her her forehead was so wide and charming and how it would make him feel like kissing it. She soon pulled herself up though. It was just her imagination. Things never happened like in fairytales, right? She took her head in her hands, and sighed. She was just dreaming; that was all. Sasuke could not love a girl like her, could he? She had always tried to catch his eye, and yet, she had never succeeded, so it would not happen now._

_“Sakura, your forehead is so wide and charming!” Sasuke said, coming closer, and she gasped, looking up at him. “It makes me feel like kissing it.”_

_The pink-haired girl blushed as she had never blushed before and her emerald eyes twinkled brighter than any star in the nocturnal sky. That is, until all her dreams were suddenly shattered._

_“Just kidding. That’s the kind of dumb thing that Naruto would say. I wanna ask you something,” he added, sitting next to her, while she was looking down, depressed._

_She stared at him in surprised. She was particularly surprised when he asked her what she was thinking of Naruto._ What… What’s the matter with that stupid boy? _She did not want to talk about him! And yet… she could not help herself telling Sasuke how Naruto knew his feelings and yet was trying to get on her way. Plus, he had never understood one single thing about her. He was just_ annoying _!_

 _“All I really want… is for_ you _to accept me, Sasuke. That’s all,” she stated, some lock of her pink hair partially hiding her face._

_“You just want me to accept you?” Sasuke repeated, with wide eyes._

_Some birds chirped. Sakura look at him shyly and blushed once again, for the third time. Had he finally understood what she really wanted?_

_“Yeah, that’s how I feel,” she admitted. “I’d do anything for that.”_

_She then turns towards Sasuke and leaned in order to kiss him. His heart pounded in his chest when he saw the girl’s lips coming closer to his; she had even closed her eyes, and she wanted him to kiss her! He gasped and shook his head._ I… I can’t do that! I don’t want things to happen that way, I just wanted to know what she thought of me! _he thought. Before things went too far, he suddenly stood up from the bench, making Sakura open her eyes in surprise._

_“Sasuke?”_

_The latter wanted to answer to her, but suddenly, his stomach ached and he put his hands on it, in pain._ My stomach! What timing! _the boy swore to himself, his eyes twitching. He needed to go to the toilets._ Now _. His stomach hurt too much to go away with it. He just could not stay here for now. He did not feel well at all._ Ouch, ouch, ouch! _He did not lost time and started running off towards the Academy. There he would find what he needed. He had to be really quick, and hope that_ a certain someone _would not show himself in front of Sakura while he was not here. Otherwise, he did not really know how things would go._

_“Hey, what’s the matter?” Sakura asked, in surprise._

_“I’ll be right back!” Sasuke said, waving at her._

I did not know Sasuke was so shy… _Sakura thought. She could not help blushing and put a finger on her lips._ Maybe he needs a little time to get ready _, she thought to herself. Well, it did not bother her. Sasuke had nearly kissed her; she just had to wait for him to come back, and then they could finally be together and maybe he would even date her. She had been waiting all her life for this moment, so she could wait a little longer._ We’re going to be together! We’re going to be together! _When she would tell Ino that Sasuke had kissed her, she would get mad for sure._ Too bad for her! _Sakura chuckled. This was going to be the best day of her life ever. She was going to wait for Sasuke’s return on that bench, and then they would kiss. Everything was all right._

_She was just so far off._

***

It was around midday when we finally arrived near the Academy. My brother had decided to go there first, because he thought it was likely the place where Naruto would be. He still had not told me what it was all about, so I was a bit worried, to tell the truth, but at least, I was there and I could do something if, by chance, things went wrong. At least, I hoped so. _I wonder why big brother is so determined to find Naruto. I thought they hated each other?_ I sighed. Well, there was no need to torture myself for now, everything would become clear in due time.

My eyes widened when I saw none other than Sakura sitting on a stony bench. _What is she doing here? Shouldn’t she be eating with her own teammates?_ This was quite strange; I thought lunch was a time when you could bound with your squad. What was she waiting, sitting here all alone? _Maybe we should suggest her to have lunch with us? After all, she’s in the same year school as us, so, this would be the perfect moment to get to know each other._ It was true she had been rude with Naruto, this morning, but I held no grudge against her. We were only twelve, after all; we were not supposed to be perfect. And I had the feeling that, one day or another, we might have to go in missions with her. So I did not want her to be my foe. We were from the same village, so we had to stick together, right? She was a fellow companion, from now on. So, when she saw us and suddenly stood up, grinning, I waved at her and smiled.

“Hey Sakura, what’s–”

“Sasuke! You’re back!” she exclaimed. “Don’t be so shy, you bad boy!”

I stopped and blinked in astonishment. She just had totally ignored me and called my brother ‘bad boy’. _All right… Once a fan girl, always a fan girl, huh?_ I sighed. What had I been expecting from her, exactly? I should have known she just had eyes for my brother. Everyone had eyes for him, anyway. _She’s not joking around…_ I thought, when I saw her blushing, her two hands on her cheeks.

“Are you ready now? You know, mentally prepared? Because I am rearing to go!”

 _What? What is she talking about? Ready for what?_ I looked at her in disbelief. I simply did not understand what was the meaning of all that. As for Sasuke, he did not even care about her and keep walking. _I would like to clarify some thing first._

“Sakura, what do you mean by ‘mentally prepared’?”

She stared at me as if it was the first time she saw me. I sweat dropped. _Wow, sorry to bother you that much…_ Why was I the only girl she looked at that way? She used to be nice with me, before, but it was only to get more information about Sasuke, and it soon had gotten on my nerves. Ino, on the other hand, had asked about Sasuke too, but had tried to know more about me at the same time. Well, I hoped we would soon all become friends anyway.

“Ah, there you are. Actually, Sasuke was about to kiss me,” she stated, shrugging.

My eyes widened in utter shock at those words. _Oh my… We have a problem here,_ I thought, arching an eyebrow. _There’s no way Sasuke could have kissed her._ _The worst thing is that she seemed to be quite serious, though…_ _She doesn’t seem like she has invented anything ._ Yet, there was no way Sasuke could have been about to kiss her because he had been with me the entire time. Plus, he had never been interested in Sakura, so something was apparently off. If it was not Sasuke Sakura had been with, then someone had clearly transformed into him. But who could have done that? Now that I came to think of it, that type of joke could only have been made by… _No, don’t tell me it could be_ him? I wondered. Well, there were not many possibilities. But this person, really? It really cracked me up, and it was difficult not to laugh in front of Sakura, after the way she had been fooled. And the more hilarious was that she was not aware of it yet. _How comical!_

My twin brother looked over his shoulder; he and I looked at each other knowingly. He did not really seem to be pleased with the joke. His brows had furrowed and his fists were clenched; he had also gritted his teeth. The good thing was, I think I understood the situation better than before. I had now an idea about why Sasuke was so desperate to find Naruto. The latter should better be careful from now on: he was about to find out the consequences of his joke soon. _Naruto, what did you do?_ Sometimes he still acted like a child; that was unbelievable. Sakura was not very friendly with him, so why had he done something like that? We had to find him to know the answer to that question. And we should not say anything to Sakura, above all.

“Where’s Naruto?” we asked at the same time.

Sakura blinked in surprise, and then she put her arms behind her back, with a strained smile on her lips. “Oh, see, there you go, changing the subject again.”

Could not she just answer the question? _We have to find Naruto, and quick! Otherwise, everybody will believe he’s Sasuke, and we don’t know what he intends to do by transforming into him!_

“Anyway,” Sakura said, in annoyance, “Naruto just picks fights with you! You know why he’s so annoying?” she asked, lifting her forefinger. “Cause he wasn’t raised right!”

My whole body tensed and I frowned. She still had not answered the question. And I did not like the way she was talking of Naruto _at all_. Did she know? Did she really know what she was saying? _I don’t get it… Why is she so selfish? Why has she always to put Naruto down like that?_ He had never done anything to her; she, on the other hand, had always been rude and had never been friendly with him. She had never tried to understand him. She was just obsessed with my brother. It almost made me feel like crying for her. _That’s your only goal in life? You want to have Sasuke for yourself? Nobody counts for you other than him? It’s… so sad._ Sasuke, Sasuke… It was like nobody else existed. She would not go that far with such mentality.

“He hasn’t had a mother or a father. No one to teach him right from wrong.”

I looked down and I clenched my fists. _Sakura… How can you…? How can you be such a spoiled child and act so nastily with the people around you? How can you act as if you were the most important human being on earth? How can you be so selfish?_ I could not believe she had said those words. She did not know Naruto’s back-story, and she did not know _our_ back-story either. And yet she thought she had the right to talk about people she knew nothing about. _I’ve never seen such a careless girl. You should be ashamed of yourself, Sakura. Just because you’re twelve doesn’t mean you can say everything you want._ Sasuke was still looking for Naruto, and did not give a care about Sakura, so what was she trying to do?

And yet, she continued talking, as if what she had just said was not already enough. “Think about it. He just does whatever comes into his head!”

My twin instantly stopped and he glared at her. That girl had missed an opportunity to keep her mouth shut.

“If I did things like Naruto, forget it!” she said with an air of superiority, putting her hands on her lips, “I mean, my parents would get mad and I’d get in troubles, so of course I don’t do it! But if you don’t have parents to tell you, how would you know? He’s selfish and bratty. He’s all alone!”

Sasuke’s glare intensified and my own look hardened. She was acting like a spoiled child so much that it could make you want to slap her face. _I hope for you you’ll never be alone like me, Sasuke or Naruto, Sakura. You don’t know how lucky you are to still have your family by your side. And because you have your family by your side, you don’t know how one truly feels when he hasn’t anybody with him anymore._ Sakura’s parents should really have taught her to think carefully before she spoke. She could say all what she wanted about Naruto, but, at least, he behaved himself more than she did. He was loyal and honest, while Sakura did not care about the other and thought she knows everything about everyone.

I knew she probably had not wanted to hurt us by saying that. She probably thought that, since Sasuke did not get along with Naruto, she would have a chance with my brother by criticizing his enemy. She just did not know what she was talking about. And, as the wind was blowing, Sasuke quickly put her in her place, as he always did, without even looking at her.

“Alone… Isolated… It’s not about your parents scolding you. You have no idea what it means to be alone.”

“W–Why are you saying that?” Sakura asked, a bit afraid. She seemed quite shocked and sad, too.

I looked at my brother, tears nearly rolling down my cheeks. _Sasuke… What she said hurt you too, didn’t it?_ The latter tuned towards the pink-haired girl and frowned, irritated.

“Because… you’re annoying.”

Sakura gasped and I closed my eyes. I would never have said that to her, at least not with those words, but I was not going to blame Sasuke for what he had just told her. There was a moment when she would have to understand she just could not say what was going through her mind without reflecting. Words could hurt as much as weapons, and if it made Sakura’s mentality change a bit, well, it could not be that bad, after all. She would get over it, and if what Sasuke had said made her act nicer with the others and especially Naruto, then that would be perfect.

Sasuke looked at me. I knew he wanted me to follow him; we still had to find Naruto, after all. I nodded, and he left, without even looking back. Sakura had frozen, staring at the boy who had just rejected her. It had clearly surprised her, knowing that Naruto had nearly kissed her earlier. She was probably wondering why the boy she loved was acting so differently.

Sakura turned towards me. “Did he just say… I was annoying?”

She seemed on the verge of tears. I had a lump in my throat. Now that I was seeing her like that… I felt sorry for her. _You should have thought better, Sakura_. I walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t take it too personally, Sakura. My brother had always been the straightforward type. I hope you’ve learnt your lesson, now”

I remove my hand. She looked down without saying a word and went to sit on the bench. She needed time to reflect about what had just happened, and it was better for her to be alone for a moment. Plus, I still had to find Naruto. _Sakura is not a bad person. She just needs to be nicer with people around her._ I left, trying to find my two teammates before they killed each other.

It did not take long to find my brother, looking for Naruto in the Academy. We walked together, and soon we saw Naruto rushing at us, in the opposite direction. Nobody could miss him, with that orange jumpsuit he was wearing. He skidded and stopped right in front of us.

“Asuka!” he said, smiling, before he frowned. “Sasuke! What are you doing here? How did you get loose?”

I mentally sighed. _So, you were indeed behind all this, Naruto…_

“My sister helped me undo the ties,” Sasuke said casually, and Naruto sweat dropped. “Why did you do that? Transform into me?” the raven-haired boy asked, frowning.

“I thought it’d be fun to try out my moves on you, so I did!”

He then stepped back and made the hand signs for the Shadow Clone Technique. Four replicas of himself appeared in a puff of smoke and aimed at Sasuke, yelling.

“This time you’ll see what I can really do!”

 _So, it is the technique he used earlier against Sasuke?_ I wondered, while the clones were still shouting. My brother gritted his teeth and get into a defensive stance, while Naruto was telling me to get out of the way. _Naruto, stop it! We’re a team, now! We don’t have to fight each other!_ However, while they were still in the air, ready to attack, the clones suddenly cried in pain. Their stomachs growled and they immediately rushed towards the toilets and started fighting to know who would come in first. _What?_ We looked with wide eyes at the scene, dumbfounded, before Sasuke scoffed.

“What a loser.”

With that, he walked away. I looked at the clones again.

Naruto would never cease to surprise me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we'll stop here for today. Hope you liked it!
> 
> Unfortunately, I can't say when the next chapter will be out. I have a lot of work to do for school and I have to catch up if I want to pass, ah ah. I'm currently beginning the sixth chapter. I would like to post the next chapter when I am done with the Land of Waves Arc, but since the latter is pretty long, maybe I'll post it later.  
> I know I'm not writing fast, but I had a life, and writing in English is quite exhausting, ah ah. Anyway, thanks for the kudos, the comments and all that. Your support means the world to me!
> 
> By the way, if someone is interested, I'm looking for a Beta-Reader! It would help me a lot to correct mistakes and improving my writing style, so, feel free to send me a message!
> 
> See you next time and stay tuned!


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